Home Is Where The Heart Is
by Where'sThePie
Summary: Newly human, and left to fend for himself after being asked to leave the bunker; Castiel starts wandering. He never expected to find a place to settle down, and he certainly didn't expect to find a home and friends in a small town in Indiana. Of course, the pretty girl with unusual eyes definitely had a hand in that.
1. Chapter 1

_**I got a thing about human/Cas stories, so... We'll see where this goes depending on everyone's feedback. So leave a review if you want me to continue on with this!**_

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><p>It was endless... Or at least it felt as thought it was endless... The constant days and nights of wandering aimlessly with no where to go, no where to sleep, nothing to eat or drink. It was all he could do to find scraps in a garbage can on most days.<p>

Castiel had no doubts that living life as a human, having suddenly lost his grace, would be nothing short of difficult. But, he had to admit to himself that he never would have figured it would be like this.

He was so certain that once he found his friends that they would help him. He just knew that Sam and Dean would take him into the bunker and school him on everything he needed to know on being human. With their help, the thought of everything that happened wouldn't be so bad. The fear he felt at night when he was alone wouldn't be so overwhelming and horrible. If he just had someone there to help him along, then... He was certain living a life like this now would have been tolerable.

But as it turns out, Dean told him to leave... He claimed he couldn't stay at the bunker with them and didn't even offer so much as an explanation. Whatever it was, Castiel could tell it was obviously a serious matter. The look in Dean's eyes when he announced he couldn't stay was nothing short of heartbroken. But, there was no reasons given, only that he had to leave. Castiel was just thankful he allowed him to pack a few provisions before he promptly threw him from the bunker. Unfortunately though those provisions had run out days ago, or... Maybe it was a week now, he wasn't certain anymore. All he knew was that he was exhausted, his body ached and his stomach felt as though it was trying to chew itself free from the inside.

Not only that, but... He didn't even know where he was any longer. What state or town. He had hitchhiked the previous day after a nice old man pulled to the side of the road where he stood. And, after falling asleep in the passenger seat and sleeping for hours straight, he awoke in a new city where the old man dropped him off on a random street corner and drove off. But, that was only after giving him a few dollars. Really, Castiel was amazed at the kindness of some strangers out in the world.

And also... Just how _unkind _certain people happened to be. He'd been thrown out of several different eating establishments, had been threatened with the police being called once someone found him picking through their garbage, and even shoved practically in front of a fast moving taxi cab. Being alone, on the streets, _and _newly human was nothing short of terrifying on most occasions.

But that kind old man had given him money. It wasn't much, only twenty dollars but it was at least enough to purchase a meal or two if he was careful. Which incidentally is what he was planning on doing just as soon as he came across a small place that wouldn't immediately throw him out once they caught sight of him. It was obvious he was, as one person called him, a stray; homeless, and poor, considering he was dirty and probably didn't smell very nice and hadn't shaved in over a week. Calling himself disheveled was indeed an understatement.

The money though was practically burning a hole in his pocket, and the more he anticipated a nice hot meal, the more his stomach began to ferociously snarl at him. It was late, unfortunately... Past midnight now and he doubted he would find a place to purchase a meal this late at night. Still, he kept walking, passing by one or two rowdy bars which seemed to be the only signs of life this time of night. Those unfortunately weren't for sitting down and eating, so he kept on moving until passing through a particularly rough area of town and into the quiet suburbs. As it turns out, he overheard a man on his cell phone stating that the area he was currently in was just off of Indianapolis. So at least he knew what state he was in, and didn't feel so lost any longer.

Finally, like a shining beacon in the night, he came across a small diner on a street corner that was still open. Thankfully it was practically empty, the only patrons now were two police officers that were sipping coffee at the bar. That nearly stopped him dead in his tracks however, the last thing he needed was some sort of altercation with the police. But, his stomach was empty and screaming to be fed, so he pushed aside any fears or doubts and stepped inside the diner.

A small bell jingled just above the door announcing his entrance, and he nearly thanked god out loud when the officers barely passed him a second glance. Before taking a seat at the bar however, he rushed to the men's room and locked the door.

It was the first time he glanced at his reflection straight on in days and he instantly regretted it. No wonder people had been quick to toss him out of their restaurants or businesses because he looked downright worn ragged.

After a quick face washing he dried his face on a paper towel and tried his best to flatten down his hair. It helped a tad, but it wasn't near enough to give off the illusion that he wasn't homeless.

He was silent and timid as he moved from the men's room and took a seat at the end of the bar, folding his hands in front of him and keeping his eyes fixed on his feet to avoid looking the officers in the eye. He hoped and prayed that they didn't think him suspicious, that they wouldn't question him or try to force him to leave. He had money, after all... So it's not as though he wasn't a paying customer.

There was a small TV playing in the corner, and he passed it a quick glance before seeing yet another news coverage on the supposed "meteor shower" that had happened weeks beforehand. Definitely not a meteor shower, Castiel thought... The farthest thing from that actually. A meteor shower was so innocent and tame in comparison.

"Sorry about the wait, hon-" A female voice rang out from in front of him. "Here's a menu and I'll let you glance over it."

His eyes shot over to the young woman in front of him and he felt himself uncomfortably shift on the bar stool afterwards.

She was standing there casually with a kind smile on her face and he was immediately struck mute and dumb. No, he wasn't adjusting to being human at all if he was completely immobilized by an attractive female. And, after the last time he had been drawn in by a pretty face, he was stabbed in the heart by a reaper.

But he very much doubted she was a reaper, because the chances of that happening again he figured were slim to none.

Her eyes were an unusual caramel color, mixed with flecks of green; and compared to most women now a days her skin was a creamy alabaster. Her wavy brown hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail that had obviously begun to fall down over the course of her work shift. And, fastened to her apron and tank top was the name tag that read "_Amy"._

"Oh," He finally managed to croak out after the momentary lapse of silence. "Thank you.

She passed him a wink, and for a moment it reminded him very much of Dean. "So can I get you something to drink while you look over the menu?"

"Uh," He croaked out again. "Just water, thank you."

She nodded and retreated to the soda fountain towards the back, grabbing a clean glass and filling the cup with ice before pushing down the plain water lever.

He tried not to gawk at her as she laid the glass down in front of him, and instead grabbed the menu and began to flick through it.

Honestly everything sounded wonderful to him right then. Even though there were dozens of things listed there that he'd never even eaten before. He decided though to just play it safe and order something that he knew for certain that he liked, which was a cheeseburger.

After closing the menu and sitting it down in front of him, he felt his posture slump once he noticed one of the officers giving him a peculiar glance.

"All right," The waitress Amy said, approaching him again. "You know what you want, hon?"

He nodded, still keeping a wary watch on the police men. "Yes, I would like a cheeseburger, thank you."

She jotted it down on her notepad before giving a nod. "Fries with that?"

"Uh... Yes, thank you."

She snickered slightly. "Polite one aren't you? We don't get many in here. All right, your order will be ready in a jiff."

After passing another wink she retreated to the kitchen past a set of swinging doors, and that's when one of the officers slid off his stool and made his way over to him.

"Excuse me, sir," The man said and Castiel felt himself go stiff. "How're you doing this evening?"

What in the world did he want? He wasn't doing anything wrong, he was sitting there quietly and not causing a disturbance, and yes maybe it was obvious he was homeless and hadn't much money but...

"I'm well, thank you." He forced out, after swallowing a knot in his throat.

"You, uh... You're new around here aren't ya?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes, I'm... I'm just passing through and stopped off for a meal."

The officers dark eyes studied him closely. "Relax, buddy; I'm not here to bust ya or anything. I just wanted to let ya know that if you're looking for a place to stay tonight... There's a shelter run outa the local Baptist church on Clark street."

Castiel couldn't hide the relief on his face after that even if he tried. "Oh... Well, I appreciate the tip and I'll keep that in mind."

The officer returned his previous seat and finally Castiel was able to breathe. That was too close, he figured. Who was to say when the next police man might take notice of him, and only he wouldn't be so kind. Which was why he was going to eat his meal and then leave as quickly as possible.

Ten minutes later Amy returned with his plate of food and sat it and a bottle of ketchup down in front of him.

"There ya go, sweetie. Enjoy." She said, smiling still.

"Thank you." He muttered, waiting until she turned away to pick up his cheeseburger and take a bite.

After he did he couldn't help but to cram several more bites in his mouth it was so incredibly delicious. He never knew that something as simple as ground beef could be so wonderful right about then, but he was just so so hungry. And after practically devouring half of the cheeseburger in less than one minute, he sat it down and inhaled several fries after drenching them in ketchup.

He knew he was probably appearing very much like a starving animal, but he couldn't find it in him to give a damn at that moment. This was probably one of the only _real_ meals he would have for a long long time and he was going to savor every delectable bite.

Before long Amy returned to refill his half empty glass of water, then slid another small plate next to him with a piece of pie on top.

"Try some of that too," She said with that same kind smile.

"Oh I didn't order that." He quickly replied with his mouth full.

"It's on the house. We don't like to serve leftover pie so we like to clean it out in one day if we can."

He stared at it for a moment, being reminded yet again of Dean before nodding. "Thank you then."

"No problem." She moved across the bar and smacked her hands down in front of the two officers. "And you two freeloaders coming in here and taking advantage of us by getting free coffee. The nerve."

Both men chuckled, and it was obvious to Castiel that they must have known each other for a long long time.

"Ignore her," The youngest officer with the dark eyes said. "She has no respect for the law."

Castiel froze with his cheek bulging, wondering why they were including him on this unusual conversation. He only sat there stiff and silent however, simply observing.

"Right, the law," Amy chuckled. "They'd be better off hiring mall security guards than you two jokers."

"Listen to her," The second officer, who was close to middle aged, said. "Thinks she's a comedian."

They all three shared in a laugh and Castiel was more than confused and returned his eyes to his plate. He assumed they were trying to lighten the mood with their banter, but it only confused him and made him uncomfortable. He would have rather been ignored so he could slink down in his seat and eat his meal in peace, then promptly leave afterwards. Knowing that the entire host of heaven was searching for him and wanted him dead, well... He was wishing very much so that he was invisible right about now. Not that he suspected these people were angels exactly, it was just the thought. Because it wasn't only angels that were after him, seeing is that he had been stabbed by a reaper not two weeks ago.

"Anyways," The young officer said, sliding off his stool. "Time for us to get back out there, have a good night, Amy." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash and threw it on the bar, then muttered something quietly to her before he and his partner left the diner.

Castiel let out a relieved sigh once they were gone, and even more so did he allow himself to relax after he watched their squad car disappear down a side street.

"So," Amy said, approaching him again. "Can I get you anything else?"

He swallowed his most recent mouthful and shook his head. "No thank you. This was... Very good."

"Yeah the burgers aren't bad here are they?" She surprised him when she grabbed her stool and scooted it over across from him. "The pie's not so bad either. Actually, if I'm to be honest... It's the best in all the state. But... I guess I have to say that since I make them."

He stared down at the slab of cherry pie that was oozing red juice all over the plate. "Oh, you baked this?"

"Yeah, don't wanna brag but," She shrugged sarcastically. "I make a mean pie."

He actually managed a small smile at that before pulling the plate closer and awkwardly taking a bite. And even though he tried not to show it on his face, it was practically as good as the cheeseburger.

"I think you're right," He said now. "About the pie... That is."

"Thanks," She chuckled. "So, I don't wanna bug you or anything since you're trying to eat, but it gets pretty quiet in here so late at night. You don't mind conversation do you?"

Mind? How could he mind? He hadn't had a conversation with another living person since Dean threw him out of the bunker. And even though he was wary of everyone he saw on most days, he would have been lying if he claimed he didn't miss some form of interaction.

"No," He shook his head taking another awkward bite. "I don't mind."

She eyed him up and down which he didn't notice, since he couldn't manage to pry his eyes off the bar.

"So where are you from? You're not from Indiana are you?" She asked.

"No, definitely not from Indiana. I'm just... I'm just passing through town." He replied.

"Oh," She nodded. "Cause I was gonna say if you're thinking about sticking around here, you chose the right time to do it. Festival season's coming up and it gets really pretty around here during the fall."

"I might be here a few days, I haven't decided yet-" He practically scraped his plate clean. "I suppose it all depends on how... Well, the coming days I suppose."

She chewed her lower lip for a moment, going silent as she examined him.

"So, long shot but... You don't happen to need a job or anything do you?" She asked now, and Castiel's eyes immediately shot up to hers. "Cause as it turns out, my bus boy quit on me this morning, and kind of left me in a tight spot."

He dropped his fork after that question, and tried to play it off as coincidence because he certainly didn't want her to see the hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, well... I suppose if you're really desperate I might be able to help you out. That is... If I stay in town." He replied.

"Awesome," She smiled. "So if you want to come back tomorrow at six in the afternoon, that's when my shift starts and I can show you the ropes." She climbed off her stool and then stopped. "Oh, and... Might be helpful if I knew your name?"

And he blurted out the truth before he could come up with an alias to give, which immediately made him tense up. "Casti-" He stopped and clearned his throat. "Cas... My name's Cas."

At least he managed to stop himself before spouting his _entire _angelic name.

"Cas," She nodded. "Is that short for something?"

"No," He swallowed hard. "It's just Cas."

"All right, Cas," She smiled again. "Well, remember tomorrow at six pm, stop by if you're interested in the job."

He took that as a way of her saying he should leave, because going by the sign on the door the diner closed in ten minutes. So, he stood and rifled through his pocket before pulling out his money.

"Oh, no, sweetie-" She said, reaching across the bar and patting his and. "The bill's taken care of."

"Excuse me?"

"Rick, the officer in here earlier... He took care of that for you, so... You're all set."

Castiel's face went blank after that, as he crinkled the already crumpled bills in his hand. "Oh... That was... Very kind of him."

"Yeah he's a nice guy, so-" She let out a sigh. "I hope to see you tomorrow."

He couldn't even mutter out a response and simply gave her a nod and left the diner.

Wonders never ceased... He supposed there truly were kind people out there. Not only did that young police officer give him directions to a shelter, but he also paid for his meal. And, that nice girl Amy even offered him a job.

Even though he knew it probably wouldn't last, and he wouldn't be able to linger behind in this town long, it would be nice to settle down for at least a few short months. Maybe he could actually sleep a decent night for once before he was forced on the road again. Or... Maybe he would get extremely lucky and none of his fallen siblings would think to look for him in a small town like this.

Either way, he started down the now completely dead silent streets until coming to the church on Clark street where the mission happened to be. After a few minutes of contemplating whether he should go inside, because his siblings knew that he had taken up lodging in shelters before... He let out another long sigh because he knew it was simply too risky. So, instead of entering the shelter itself, he moved to the church and found the doors unlocked. He figured it wouldn't do any harm to sleep in one of the pews, at least not for one night anyhow. Then after that... He would have to find another safe area to camp out, because the shelter was out of the question and he didn't have money for a room somewhere.

Hopefully though that would change soon. If this potential job Amy had offered him actually panned out that is. He prayed it would anyhow. Or well, actually he didn't pray... Because he never prayed anymore... He knew better than that now because it's not as though God was listening.

But, after he laid down on one of the hard uncomfortable pews, he felt his eyes flitting closed. Who would have thought that a hard wooden bench could feel so comfortable right then. But it was... It was safe and quiet and warm inside the church, and because of that he drifted off instantly.

Somehow... He had a very good feeling about tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for the followers everyone! I hope you like this chapter. I've always wanted to make something cute with Cas in it, so that's what this story is going to be. :)**_

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><p>The following morning Castiel was awoken to the sounds of footsteps. Immediately he was on alarm and slipped off the pew he'd slept on and peaked over the one in front of him. With a long hard look he realized that he had panicked for nothing, it was only this church's Father. But, considering everything he had been through recently, he knew that panic was justified. There was just never knowing when another of his siblings would appear and try to kill him again.<p>

Now that he'd successfully scared himself to death, he hoped he could find a way of sneaking out of the pews and the church completely without the Father noticing him. The last thing he wanted to do was try and explain why he was sleeping on the pews.

Unfortunately luck didn't seem to be on his side that morning, because just as he was about to slip out the doors he heard, "Excuse me, son."

Castiel froze instantly after that, actually tempted to pull his angel blade because he couldn't see an angels true face any longer... Whether the Father was one of his siblings...

But, he didn't. He didn't pull his blade, because after he turned and awkwardly glanced to the Father, he could tell by the look in the older mans eyes that he couldn't have been a sibling.

"Yes?" He replied, just as awkwardly.

The man had to have been in his sixties with a head full of snow white hair, with deep creases around the kindest gray eyes Castiel thought he had ever seen.

"It's okay, son-" The Father said with a smile. "It's just... I couldn't help but notice you were sleeping in here?"

"O-Oh," Castiel swallowed. "Yes, well... I stopped by late last night to... To pray, and... I must have fallen asleep, Father. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"It's all right," The man chuckled. "I wasn't going to forbid you from sleeping in here, son. But, you do know that the church has a shelter just across the property, don't you?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

"It's clean, and under the circumstances it's safe too. We serve breakfast at six," He checked a pocket watch he kept on the inside of his dark jacket. "If you hurry you might be able to get something, maybe even a shower if you need one."

Which Castiel already knew he did need, desperately. He was convinced he couldn't smell any worse had he rolled through a pile of rank garbage.

"Thank you," He replied, giving a nod. "Maybe I'll stop in."

The Father smiled one last time before returning to the pews to lay out bibles, and Castiel quickly fled before he decided he changed his mind about sleeping in the church. Yes the Father seemed like a nice man, but even nice men could call the police if they felt they had a just reason.

Once he was outside in the crisp cool morning, he shuddered slightly before zipping up his hoodie. He really needed to figure out some sort of living arrangements before winter struck, or else he would freeze to death. That is... If he didn't starve to death first, or if he wasn't picked off by one of his siblings.

Instead of going to the shelter for breakfast, he kept on walking, trying to find something to do to pass the time until six when he was supposed to return to the diner. Really, he couldn't help but think how strange it was that he was actually going to be taking a job. A job at a diner no less. It was so fitting he almost had the urge to call and tell Dean. Because it was a well known fact the Winchesters' practically lived in small town diners like that one. But no, he couldn't call Dean, he couldn't call Sam... He was going to have to adjust to the fact that the brothers weren't going to be a part of his life now.

It halfway made him wonder if perhaps the reason why Dean sent him away was because he was no longer useful to him. In the past, when he had his grace and his wings, Dean would pray to him frequently... Now he just found it strange that Dean would ask him to leave the bunker after he'd fallen and was no longer an angel, no longer a useful tool...

But, no matter how angry or upset and betrayed he felt from Dean asking him to leave, he really couldn't allow his mind to believe that Dean had only saw him as a tool to use when things turned rough. He liked to believe that he was at least somewhat of a friend and comrade to the man. After all, he had called him family in the past, claimed that Castiel was practically a brother to him, so... That had to mean something... At least Castiel hoped so.

He forced those thoughts away and instead focused on what he was going to do. He knew he couldn't arrive at the diner looking like he did, nor smelling as he did. It wouldn't motivate the nice girl Amy to actually give him that job if he wasn't even presentable. So, to pass some of the time he found his way to a drug store that was the corner of Main street. As soon as he stepped inside he rushed past the registers and what little customers there were and searched around until finding an electric razor, a toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant and mini shampoo bottles.

Once he made his way to the register, thankfully the older woman behind the counter didn't pay him any mind and only rang up his purchase and placed it in a bag. Thankfully he hadn't spent the remainder of his money. He still had eight dollars left, which he figured would be enough to buy him a cup of coffee and maybe a sandwich if he was lucky.

With his items bagged, he moved back through the drug store and slipped into the bathroom, quickly locking the door behind him.

The first thing he did was discard his dirty jacket, hoodie and shirts, then moved to the sink and stuffed his head under the faucet.

It wasn't a shower, no definitely not, but at least he was able to wash his hair. He didn't think something so simple could feel so incredible right then, but it did. And once he was through with that he used the shampoo still to wash his upper torso as well as possible. By the time he was finished with all of that he had used almost all of the paper towels from the dispenser to dry himself.

He hated having to put on his dirty clothes again after just washing, but he very well couldn't wander around without any clothes, so... He hoped that everything didn't smell too badly as he threw on his shirt. Last but not least he brushed his teeth, and then after a minute of trying to figure out how the electric razor worked, shaved off the beard he'd grown until it was back to his usual short stubble. Afterwards he stared at his reflection and let out a sigh.

Yes, he might have been cleaner, his hair might not have been greasy and a disaster any longer but his clothes... They were still horrible. And after double checking his pockets and pulling out the eight dollars he had left, he knew that buying a cup of coffee and a sandwich weren't in the cards that morning. Instead, he grabbed his purchases and left the drug store, walking a few blocks down the street and to where he had seen a laundromat the night before.

Thankfully this early in the morning it was near empty except for an older woman who unfortunately would not stop staring at him once he stripped of everything but his boxers and a t-shirt and threw them in the washer.

He sat there awkwardly with his hands resting over unmentionables and kept his eyes fixed firmly ahead, trying his best to ignore the horrible glares the woman was giving him. An hour later his clothes were clean and dry, and smelled in his opinion as fresh as a spring meadow.

But now that everything was clean, that still didn't erase the fact that he was starving, and he had a good ten hours until he was supposed to meet Amy at the diner. That was a lot of time to kill, he figured; and it's not as though he could show up to the diner ten hours early because she specifically stated that her shift didn't start until six. He didn't want to be there if she wasn't, it would make things considerably more awkward than it would be already. Especially since he didn't have anymore money except eighty three cents, which wouldn't buy him anything. Not even a cup of coffee. And he hardly expected another hand out. The officer buying his food the night before was a kind gesture of course, but he didn't figure it would happen again, and he certainly didn't want it to either. It wasn't exactly pride that made him feel that way, he figured, but just that he didn't want to be a burden on anyone. He wanted to prove not only to himself, but to Sam and Dean as well that he could manage on his own, that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

He ended up wandering for a good two hours until passing a soda machine just outside a random business. He had just enough change for a can of soda, which he was quick to grab after punching his hand down on the button. In practically ten seconds he had chugged down the entire thing, unable to keep himself from belching loudly afterwards. Thankfully no one was around him to hear it, and after tossing the empty can in a nearby garbage bin, he kept on walking.

The remainder of the day he spent it either wandering aimlessly around town or sitting on a bus stop bench just counting down the seconds until he could visit the diner. By the time six pm finally came around he was so nervous and anxious he nearly talked himself out of entering the establishment and running in the opposite direction.

But, no matter how nervous or afraid he was, he knew he needed that job or else he very well might starve to death, or... Freezing to death might come quicker since winter would be here before he knew it. If he could just have a steady income, enough to at least rent him a tiny apartment somewhere he could make it...

So, with a deep breath he pulled the diner door open and stepped inside, immediately being greeted again by the jingling bell.

His eyes scaled the crowd, which apparently was brought in with the dinner rush, the place was jammed packed. But, he didn't spot Amy right off, instead there was a middle aged woman with short curly hair behind the bar rushing about taking orders while a teenage boy took the tables.

"Just one, sir?" A voice rang out beside him and Castiel turned to see a little boy that couldn't have been over ten years old.

"Excuse me?" Castiel replied.

"Are you just one? Table for one?" The little boy asked again, peering up at him with big brown eyes.

In his arms he carried the diners menu, and he even had a name tag that read "Timothy" pinned to his t-shirt.

"Oh," Castiel shook his head. "I'm not here to dine. Amy asked me to stop by."

"Ohh," The boy chuckled. "She's in the back," He pointed past the bar and to the door leading to the kitchen. "Go on back, you'll probably find her in her office."

Castiel nodded. "Thank you."

He moved past awkwardly, wondering if all businesses had young children working for them, but shook that thought off as he moved behind the bar and through the double doors. No one paid him any mind, which he thought was unusual, he could have been just about anyone for all they knew. Still, he shook that thought off as well as he moved past the kitchen and to a small hallway with one door at the end. As soon as he stopped and raised his fist to knock the door flew open and he was practically run over by a tall man with a dark goatee.

"You'll regret this," He said, throwing that statement to Amy who was leaning against her desk. "You can count on it."

"You've said that a million times, Alex. Just... Stay out of here, okay. I don't wanna have to call the cops." She replied.

The man said nothing more before shoving Castiel backwards slightly and stomping on out of the hallway, only then did Amy see him there.

"Oh god," She said, rubbing her head. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. You got perfect timing, huh?"

"I apologize for intruding," Castiel replied. "But the boy up front told me to come back."

"It's fine, hon-" She smiled. "Glad you showed up cause as you could see when you came in, we're busy as hell out there."

"I did notice that," He nodded, finding it difficult to raise his eyes from his feet. "Is it always like this?"

"Yeah, small town like this it's usually packed at dinner time since it's the only real sit down restaurant. So, you'll be busy every night, I guarantee it." She waved for him to follow. "Okay, well let me show you the ropes, huh? Why don't you leave your coat in my office."

He quickly shed his coat and hoodie and followed her down the hallway and through the kitchen. She then grabbed an apron hanging on a hook and handed it to him and he threw it on.

"All right," She said. "Really not much to this," Now she grabbed a plastic tub. "Just wait til the table's clear to go over and grab all the dishes and toss em in this, then bring it back dump em in the sink, and wash down the table afterwards. Sounds easy enough, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, very."

"And, we do things a little different here, which means we got a tip jar on the bar that's only for the kitchen staff and bus boys. So, at the end of the day that'll get divided up so it's not just the hourly wage that you'll be getting."

Yet again he nodded. "I understand."

She chuckled after that. "Don't you wanna know how much you're gonna be making an hour?"

He paused while trying to tie the apron, then gave a nod. "Oh... Of course, it must have slipped my mind."

"Okay well it's minimum wage, plus tips. And really, it's not so bad even though this place is kinda small. We're almost always crowded except real late at night, like when you stopped off last night, so... I think you'll be doing pretty good."

Castiel didn't have the nerve to say that he had no idea how much minimum wage happened to be, so he just gave a silent nod.

"All right," She stopped and rested her hand against the sink counter. "Do you want me to make a run with you or do you think you can handle it?"

"I... I'm fairly certain that I can manage." He nodded.

"It's pretty easy. Only thing that could go wrong would maybe be dropping a plate or something, so yeah... I think you'll do okay." She paused and tapped her fingers on the counter. "All right, I'll stop pestering you now and let you get out there. And... Relax, Cas... You're gonna do fine."

He didn't realize his nerves were dancing across his facial features, but it should have been obvious that they were. He was nervous and anxious and worried he would do something wrong. Even if it was only dropping and breaking a plate.

But, he got started anyhow, and after the first hour his nerves dimmed down to practically nonexistent, and after the dinner rush was over and done with it became much less hectic and tiresome, although he didn't think that the pruning of his fingers from washing so many dishes would ever fade away. Still, he didn't mind it. Because he was doing something normal. He was working, and he was building himself up to actually being able to take care of himself.

But, by the time eleven pm rolled around, he felt as though he was going to collapse. He hadn't eaten anything at all, and had only drank that can of soda, not to mention the restless night of sleeping on a hard church pew, had left him completely weak and exhausted.

He found it ironic actually that he could be starving when he was surrounded by so much food, but with having no money it's not as though he could purchase anything.

During his first day he had come to learn that the middle aged woman working behind the bar was named Olive, and the little boy Timothy was her grandson, who as Amy claimed had custody of the boy after her daughter went to prison for drug trafficking. The teenage boy's name was Eric, who was very quiet and didn't speak much, but still seemed nice just the same. The cooks in the back were Henry and Parker, and both were boisterous and very rowdy. Still... They were nice as well. Overall Castiel could conclude that this job could have been much worse. It was hard work, with constantly on his feet and rushing from table to table and washing dishes, but it was pleasant working with such kind people. Amy especially, he was convinced, was the kindest of them all.

Finally, after the day was nearly over he found he was able to sit down at the bar and rest his now aching feet. He was nearly ready to fall asleep right there, and couldn't help but wonder just where in the world he was going to sleep that night. Returning to the church was out of the question of course, and the shelter as well wasn't an option. Somehow, he had a feeling he was going to find himself sleeping on a park bench.

"So you did really good for your first day," Amy said, interrupting his thoughts. "Wasn't too bad was it?"

He shook his head and tried not to show the exhaustion on his face. "No, it wasn't bad at all."

She stopped spraying and cleaning the bar to suddenly gape at him. "Hold on a second," She tossed the rag over her shoulder. "I don't remember you taking your break today as a matter of fact."

"Break?" He replied.

"Yeah, you get a dinner break and bathroom breaks... Please don't tell me that you haven't taken a break at all?"

He suddenly froze where he sat because as a matter of fact he hadn't taken a break. He wasn't even aware he was allowed to do that. Which meant that he of course hadn't used the restroom at all since he arrived at six.

"Uh," He swallowed. "No, I... Suppose I just got too busy and it never even crossed my mind."

"Damn," She shook her head. "Well you poor thing, you're probably exhausted."

Understatement, he thought.

"I'm fine, but uh-" He slipped off the bar stool where he sat. "I think I'll just take a trip to the restroom."

"Yes, god... Please do that," She chuckled. "And try to remember your breaks tomorrow."

He nodded and slipped into the bathroom doing his usual business. Really, being human was difficult enough as it was, but the constant urinating and defecating was what he considered the most annoying. He could definitely do without that.

Once he was through he made certain to wash his hands thoroughly before pushing his way back out and into the diner which was completely empty now except for Amy and himself.

After returning to his previous seat he froze there and shifted on his feet awkwardly once he noticed a big bowl of soup and some sort of sandwich sitting there.

"Yeah," Amy said, coming out of the kitchen. "You're gonna sit down and eat."

"Uh," He swallowed hard, feeling his stomach snarl after seeing the food. "I... I didn't bring my wallet with me."

"Don't worry about it," She waved at him. "It's what's left of the specials today, so it would have gotten thrown away once I closed up anyways."

He sat again and stared at the food like a starving animal. "Well if you insist."

"I do," She smiled. "So eat up."

He waited until her back was turned to take a few bites, which resulted in him having to hold himself back from inhaling it all. If at all possible the soup was even better than the cheeseburger he had the night before, and the sandwich, which was some kind of poultry was just as good. When she sat a soda down in front of him he tried to mumble a thank you but his mouth was just too full.

"So," She said, yet again sitting down in front of him. "You think you're gonna stick around here?"

He swallowed before giving a slight nod. "It's a possibility. At least for a little while."

"That's good," She chewed her lower lip for a moment, trying to find a way to phrase her next question. "So, where you holing yourself up?"

And he froze with his cheek bulging before swallowing without even chewing. "Excuse me?"

"Where are you staying? The motel?"

He thought that over for a half a second before the lies rolled out. "Yes, that's where I'm staying."

And Amy knew that he wasn't, because it wasn't the first time she had seen someone in need of help; and the officer Rick the night before had paid for his meal and even gave him directions to the shelter.

"Oh... Cause I was gonna say that there's a room for rent if you're interested." She replied.

Before he could stop himself he felt his eyes widen. "A room?"

"Yeah, there's a little building on the back of the property. It used to be a supply shed but it was renovated and now it's a little one bedroom apartment. Got a shower, kitchenette, furnished and everything. It's actually really cute if I say so myself." She paused to study his reaction. "Rent's cheap too, so I didn't know if you'd be interested in something like that or-"

"I am, or..." He let out a sigh. "Well I would be but, isn't there a requirement for first and last months rent?"

He only knew that by watching television, which he was thankful for.

"Normally, yeah, but how bout I make you a deal, huh? I'll take out a little bit from your paycheck every week that way it won't be one huge chunk of change. Would that work?"

Could this really be happening, he asked himself. First a job and now possibly his own little apartment? Was this really a town or was it a paradise?

"That would work for me, if it's not too much trouble for you? I would hate to think that you could get into some sort of trouble for helping me." He answered.

She smiled at that. "I won't get in trouble."

"Are you certain? Because I wouldn't want you to jeopardize your position here and-"

"Cas," She interrupted, giving a little chuckle. "I own this place... It's mine, so whatever I say kinda goes around here."

Taken aback he sat up straight. "Oh... I didn't know you owned the diner."

"Yeah it was my grandmas and she left it to me when she passed away two years ago, so-" She threw up her arms. "I gave it a whirl and it seems to be working out okay. So, you want the apartment out back? Cause if you do, it's all yours."

He pushed his empty soup bowl aside and nodded. "Yes I... I would probably be interested in it. But, are you certain that this is all right? I don't want to cause any inconveniences?"

"Nah, it's not an inconvenience, you'd actually be doing me a favor. I've been trying to rent it out for months now."

"It's just... With not being able to pay the first months rent and all-"

"I'll be taking it outa your pay, remember so it's not a big deal. But, if you're really worried about it then you give me a hand every now and then outside of working here and we'll call it even, okay?"

After swallowing his last mouthful of soda he squinted at her. "Outside of here?"

"Yeah, tomorrow I'm going to the farmers market, you can tag along and help me lug crates of vegetables and fruits if you want?"

He nodded. "All right. Yes, I can do that."

"Great," She moved past the bar and locked the diners front door. "So follow me and I'll show you your new place."

Freezing after he slid off the bar stool, he couldn't believe how satisfying it was to hear that.

His own place... Who would have thought...

He followed her through the kitchen and past her office where he grabbed his hoodie and coat, then to the back exit of the diner.

Out back wasn't what he expected it to be. He expected concrete, gravel and a dirty back alley possibly, but instead it was a fairly decent sized lawn with actual grass. Surrounding the entire property was a rustic brick wall, which even though he knew wouldn't protect him from his siblings, made him feel comfortable and safe. A large oak tree was shading over the actual building that was going to be his apartment which itself was brick and even though it was small was surprisingly nice.

"I lived here up until a few months back," Amy said, breaking through the silence. "So, I've been trying to rent it out ever since."

"Oh." He replied blankly.

He supposed that explained why the little brick structure was so nice with flower boxes on the windows and curtains hanging in them. It seemed fitting for a woman.

He spotted just before they stopped at the door behind the building was a small vegetable garden and a two person swing hanging from the oak tree.

This was definitely not what he was expecting, not at all. And that was confirmed all the more when she unlocked the door and pushed it open, flicking on the light.

Yet again he figured this was a place fitting for a female, but he didn't mind that at all. It was nice and clean, and actually had a bed which he couldn't wait to fall asleep in.

"It's small," She stated, moving inside. "About the size of a studio apartment I suppose. But at least it has a bathroom and kitchenette, right?"

He nodded and followed her lead. "Honestly it could be the size of a closet and I wouldn't mind."

"Well take a look around then," She said, standing back by the door. "Ya know, just in case you might not like it."

But he already did like it. In fact he would have liked it even if it was just a dusty cot in the middle of a dust covered shed. But this place... It was lovely, he thought. Definitely far better than anything he ever envisioned himself in.

Still he did as she said and moved past the small sitting area which was one chair and a loveseat with a small box television sitting on a table. Past that was sectioned off with a curtain that led to the bedroom area, which was a twin sized four post bed, and past that was a closed door which he opened and showed it was the bathroom. The shower was small and compact, but it didn't matter, and there was just enough room left over for a toilet and small pedestal sink. Last but not least was the kitchen area which was just as tiny as the rest of the place with a small two burner stove, a mini refrigerator and a few cabinets for storage. Overall he had to conclude that it couldn't have been more perfect if it was Buckingham Palace itself.

The best thing of all was that it smelled clean and fresh, with a hint of flowers and some sort of perfume. The shelter he had slept in in the past smelled of urine and other bodily fluids, it was nothing short of a disaster but at that point in time he was just so thankful to not be out in the streets he didn't care.

He moved to the tiny window in the kitchen where a table sat pushed against the wall. With a peak outside he could see the garden and swing from this area, as well as the shadows of the tall tree above rolling across the grass.

"So, whatcha think?" Amy asked. "Is it okay?"

Returning to the front door he gave a nod. "Yes, it's perfect."

She chuckled. "Well glad you like it, just no wild parties or cooking meth here or anything and you should be fine."

He froze at that, his eyes going wide. "I can assure you that would never ever happen."

He wasn't certain was meth was exactly, but he knew it had something to do with being illegal.

She chuckled again and rolled her eyes. "I'm just kidding, Cas; you really don't seem like the type to do either... Anyways, can I at least know your last name, just to go on the lease and everything?"

Yet again he froze just as he was admiring a sparkling light fixture above. "Uh... My last name?"

"Yeah, and if it's possible I'd need to see your I.D too."

"Oh," He swallowed and spat out the first name he could think of. "It's Winchester, but, uh... I'm afraid I don't have any identification. I... Lost it some time back."

Sam and Dean would have probably laughed at him if they found out he had taken their name. Not only that but choosing that name out of millions of other potential aliases was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done. The name Winchester was extremely known of course, not only by demons and monsters but angels as well... He hoped he didn't just foul everything up for himself.

"Okay no problem," Amy replied. "We can skip out on all that annoying lease crap. You don't seem like you're gonna stiff me on the rent so we should be good." She pulled the door open now. "So let's go get the diner closed up and then you can get some sleep." Just as she turned to leave she suddenly stopped. "Oh and before I forget," She yanked off the key to the apartment from her keyring and held it out to him. "Welcome home, Cas."

For a moment he could only stare at the key with his breath lodged in his throat.

Home... He never had a home before. Even when he was an angel, heaven never really felt quite like home either. Sam and Dean felt like home, it probably would have been at the bunker with them if Dean hadn't asked him to leave. But this... This was actually going to be his _real _home. The building might have belonged to Amy, but... It was still going to be _his _home.

"Thank you," He murmured, carefully plucking the key from her fingertips. "I just... Thank you, Amy."

She gave half a smile before nodding. "You're welcome."

After stuffing the key in his pocket they returned to the diner and spent the last hour of their shift wiping down the tables and washing the dishes. And after Amy locked up and left for the night, Cas made his way back to his new place, slipping the key into the lock and stepping back inside.

For a moment he only stood there listening to the silence in the tiny little building, feeling the warmth on his face and just enjoying the peace. After that, he placed his shoes neatly by the front door, took an actual shower which felt fantastic, brushed his teeth and climbed into his new bed.

He couldn't help but think that had he not hitchhiked, had he not wound up in this surprisingly kind and quiet town... He would probably still be sleeping under a bridge, or on a park bench, or... On a hard church pew.

Rolling over, he threw the covers up over his shoulder and let out a relaxed sigh.

Maybe being human wasn't going to be so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

When morning came, Castiel found it nearly impossible to actually crawl out of bed. It was the first sleep he had since he became human that was so sound and solid and just completely wonderful. Actually kicking the covers off and crawling out was more difficult than anything, he figured. But, the thought of possibly eating breakfast seemed to motivate him somewhat.

So, after climbing out of bed and washing up in the bathroom, he moved to the kitchenette and rifled through the few cabinets there were, finding that they were actually stocked, much to his surprise. Since there was no milk or anything else in the refrigerator, he settled with what appeared to be microwave oatmeal that only required a touch of water. He was so hungry that he ended up making two packages, which to his dismay happened to boil over inside the microwave, so he knew that once his work day was over and done with he was going to be scrubbing it clean.

He made a cup of hot tea as well, and after his breakfast was finished he sat at the small table overlooking the backyard and ate in comfortable silence.

His first night in his very own home and he had to conclude that it was nothing short of heavenly. Now, he figured, all he needed to do was make enough money to purchase more clothes because he very well couldn't keep going to work in the same outfit, and also he wanted to do his first time grocery shopping because while his cabinets were stocked with canned goods and microwave oatmeal, there wasn't much else.

After spooning another mouthful of oatmeal he moved from the table and grabbed a notepad that was stuck to the mini fridge by a magnet, as well as a pen from a random drawer and took a seat.

This was the first time he would ever make a "Grocery list" and he found it amusing how something like that actually excited him it was just so... So normal... So human. How many millions of people actually sat down at their breakfast table and made such simple little lists everyday and never even stopped to consider just how lucky they were that they were normal? Yes he felt silly for being excited over that, but right at that given moment he didn't care. Maybe, after a while, he would actually be considered completely normal. Maybe he could live his life as a human and not fail at it horribly.

The first thing he wrote down, was of course milk. And, after that he froze with the pen in his hand... What else would he need? Milk just seemed like a necessity, everyone had milk. But what else would be considered a necessity?

He moved to the cabinets and yanked them open, counting cans of corn, green beans and other random fruits and vegetables. There were even a few cans of what he saw was something called "ravioli" and while he didn't know for certain what ravioli was, he decided that it looked rather tasty. But at least he knew now what he should put on his grocery list. He was well stocked when it came to vegetables, but he had nothing else in the form of protein. So he quickly jotted down chicken and ground beef, because he knew already that he liked both of those, and he also jotted down potatoes because he came to notice that they were used for more than just french fries. They went in soups and stews, or you could just eat them cooked and plain.

As far as beverages went, he figured he could make do with water from the tap. But, he came to find out rather quickly that he was very fond of hot tea, so... That was something else he would purchase. And, after going over the list a good twenty times he was certain, he concluded that it was as perfect as he could make it, in alphabetical order, and his handwriting was spot on.

With a quick glance to the clock on the wall, he finished up the last of his oatmeal and tea and took a seat on the edge of his bed where he could slip on his shoes. After that he grabbed his hoodie and threw it on, then left his tiny apartment, quickly locking the door behind him.

It was still early, but his shift started just as breakfast was being prepared, and a part of him hoped that Amy would already be there. He found he was more comfortable conversing with her over everyone else in the diner. Not that everyone else wasn't kind, but... There was something strangely calming about being in Amy's presence, despsite him being unable to look her in the eye still. She made him nervous also in a way, somehow, even though she was calming. He supposed it was because she was just so kind, and her being stunningly beautiful also contributed to it. Still, he struggled to understand how he could be calm _and _nervous at the same time.

By the time his mind had stopped wandering, he'd entered the diner through the back door and left his hoodie on the rack with everyone's jackets, then slipped into his apron.

He doubted there would be many customers this early, so there probably wasn't any dishes to wash or tables to wipe down, but he moved through the kitchen anyhow. After a nod good morning to the cooks, he pushed past the double doors and noticed that thankfully, there was only one man sipping coffee at the bar. And also, thankfully, Amy was there that morning and she was seated at one of the tables reading over a stack of receipts from the night before. He couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a perturbed look on her face.

He inched his way closer before stopping beside her, noticing her tapping her pen anxiously against the table.

"Good morning." He said, hoping that he wasn't disturbing her.

She jumped slightly but still passed him a lovely smile. "Oh, morning, Cas. How was your first night in the apartment?"

"It was wonderful, thank you-" He replied. "I can't remember the last time I slept so soundly."

She beamed at that. "Well good, if you have any issues with anything let me know. Every once in a while the sink in the kitchen clogs."

"All right, I'll let you know." He nodded, fidgeting awkwardly on his feet. "Well, I should get to work I suppose."

"Actually, hold up-" She said, reaching over and grabbing the corner of his apron. "Take a seat there's something I wanna talk to you about."

He did as she said and slid into the booth in front of her, awkwardly folding his hands on the table and swallowing back his nerves.

"So, I wanna ask your opinion on something," She started, fingering the pile of receipts in front of her. "You're new here, and I've noticed you're pretty observant since you're always watching everything, and..." She sighed. "Did you notice anyone working yesterday that might've been acting weird?"

His brows furrowed at that. "Weird?"

"Yeah," She sighed and sat back. "I noticed the numbers aren't adding up, someone's been skimming from the register and I'm trying to figure out who might have done it, and since you-"

"I swear it wasn't me," He quickly interrupted, his eyes going wide. "I don't even know how to work the register so I swear I didn't do it."

She blinked a few times over before reaching over and patting his hand.

"Calm down, Cas. I know you didn't do it. I noticed the books were off days before you even got here, so... Don't worry, you're not in trouble or anything."

He heaved out a relieved sigh after that, because he was certain he was going to be sacked already and only after one day.

"All right, well," He felt his face burn red and tried to shake it off. "What can I do to help?"

"I just wanna know if you happened to see anyone lingering near the register yesterday when they shouldn't have been? Like, there's only three people in the place that's supposed to run it, and that's me, Olive and Eric. So... Did you see anything?"

He sat back after that and thought long and hard, trying to recall the previous days events. Honestly he was so preoccupied with keeping up with his duties that he didn't notice much of anything else. Olive seemed to be busy with tending the bar and taking orders there, Amy of course was doing her fair share of work as well with rushing back and forth from the kitchen, and the cooks also never left the kitchen so that left them out... And, now that he sat and thought about it, he did recall the teenager Eric sitting at the counter with the register as he played around on his cell phone.

"I..." He swallowed. "I would hate to think that I would be the reason someone might get into trouble, Amy. But... There's a possibility I might have seen someone lingering near the register yesterday."

She frowned at that. "Okay, who was it?"

"It was... Well it was Eric, but... I didn't see him actually getting into the register, he was just sitting back there on his phone, so... Really that's not proof of any guilt what so ever, but... Well... That's all I saw."

Nodding at that, she arranged the receipts into a neater pile. "Yeah... I had a feeling it was him. I've had some issues with his behavior in the past, and he's lifted the tips from the jar a couple times..." She paused and took her head in her hands. "Dammit, this is the part about owning a diner that I really really hate."

He shifted his eyes back and forth. "I'm sorry... Is there anything I can do?"

"No," She sat back again and grabbed the pile of receipts. "I gotta put on my big girl pants and handle it myself, Cas. Thanks though," She passed him a weak smile that he realized instantly was completely fake. "Oh... And You know how you said last night that you'd give me a hand at the farmers market?"

He nodded. "Yes I remember."

"Well how about we do that this morning, huh? I kinda wanna get out of here and not deal with this whole Eric problem, so..."

"If that's what you want to do, then of course I'll help." He stood from the booth.

"Okay great, go grab your jacket and meet me out front." She concluded then left the table.

He was quick to do as she said, leaving his apron in the back and grabbing his hoodie and throwing it on. He struggled with the zipper as he rushed back through the kitchen and out the front doors of the diner. He supposed Olive was going to be manning things for the day. Once out front he waited on the curb before an old green pickup pulled to a stop beside him.

"Hop on in," Amy said, waving at him. "I wanna get there before the crowd does."

After climbing in, they left the diner behind and started zipping down the street.

He took a good look around inside he truck, listening to the creaking of the seat and the loud engine rumbling. He knew only by watching television and Dean's love for vehicles that this truck was at least sixty years old, maybe even older, but seemed as though it had been restored.

"I know what you're probably thinking," Amy said, interrupting the silence. "You're thinking that this really isn't what you'd expect me to drive, huh?"

He arched a brow at that. "Maybe a little. But now that I'm looking at it I think it does suit you."

She smiled. "It was my grandpa's baby, he left it to me when he died, so... I try my best to take good care of her."

His eyes fell to his feet after that at how much that sounded like Dean. Somehow he had a feeling that Amy and Dean would get along very well.

"So, where is this market you spoke of?" He asked now.

"It's in the next town," She answered. "So about ten miles. Farmers market, so everything's organic."

And _that_, he figured, would be what would make her and Sam get along perfectly.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, or... Maybe it was only himself that was uncomfortable because Amy didn't seem to be the slightest bit fazed.

He couldn't help but wonder why she was so quick to trust him, and why he was so quick to trust her as a matter of fact. After everything that had gone wrong lately, first falling for Metatron's lies, becoming human, and then all of the ridiculous things that happened after that... He figured it would be a miracle if he didn't look at anyone and everyone as a potential enemy. After all, when he trusted April and went back to her apartment with her, that ended in disaster. Still, he knew that Amy couldn't have been a reaper, or one of his fallen siblings because she would have tried to kill him by now.

Plus... There was just a look in her eyes... A look that said she was kind, and he could tell just by looking into them that she had her own story to tell. Because of that he trusted her instantly. She reminded him of... Well, she reminded him of Sam and Dean, oddly enough. Maybe that's why he was so fond of her already.

Once they arrived to the market she spoke of, he noticed that instead of an actual store like he figured it would be, it was dozens of outdoor produce stands. Already the area was crowded with people, and she by some miracle managed to find a parking spot relatively close. Thankfully the sun was shining brightly, and despite being a little chilly from being early autumn, it was still a lovely day. He was actually looking forward to walking and taking a good look at everything.

For the first hour he followed Amy as she went from stand to stand, every once in a while stopping to sample some of the produce or sniff at a particular fruit. And, after a while she eventually bought two small crates full of apples and peaches, which they both ended up lugging around before finding a small flatbed cart to pile everything on.

"Sorry if this is boring," She said, stopping at yet another stand. "But I like to come here to get things for the diner, it's much cheaper and since it's locally grown we don't have to worry about all those weird chemicals."

"It's fine," he replied. "I don't find it boring at all. It's actually rather interesting."

She chuckled at that. "Well glad you're having fun then."

Yet again they moved on past a stand of vegetables until coming to another that was selling local honey. As Amy went on to sample that now, Castiel stood off with the cart and examined everyone around him.

Most people were too preoccupied with their own business to pay them any mind, others were chasing after their children that were screaming and making a fuss. But, his eyes fell directly onto someone else that was lingering near by, just next to a water fountain.

He tried to pretend that he hadn't noticed him an hour earlier, or thirty minutes ago, or fifteen minutes ago as a matter of fact. But... It was becoming increasingly clear that this man was following them. No... He had to correct himself... He was following _Amy_.

He recognized him instantly as the man from the day before. The one called Alex if he recalled. He had made some sort of threat to Amy in her office before stomping out and shoving him out of the way. At the time he didn't think much of it, but now that the man was clearly following her, he was alarmed. There was no telling who he was or what he was capable of. Of, if he truly intended on causing some sort of harm to Amy.

"This is so delicious," Amy said, breaking through his thoughts. "You gotta try this."

She held up a cracker with something slathered on it, and he stared at it momentarily before arching a brow. "What is it?"

"Homemade honey butter, and it's incredible." She smiled. "Seriously, try it."

He took it and crammed it in his mouth, barely even tasting it because it was still glaring at the man across the way.

"Well?" She asked. "Whatcha think? You like it?"

"Hm," He murmured absently. "Yes it's rather good."

"You think it's something I should get for the diner?"

"That's not really my decision to make, Amy-" He tore his eyes off the man and returned them to her. "I mean... I wouldn't want to make that decision and then if it's a failure you'll have lost money."

Chuckling again, she rolled her eyes. "Well we'll give it a whirl and see what happens."

She bought a small case of the honey butter and added it to the cart, then they made their way for some sort of food stand that was selling something Castiel saw was called "pretzels" and of course what he recognized already as hot dogs.

"You hungry?" She asked moving to stand in line. "Cause I'm starvin."

Actually yes he was very hungry. Unfortunately his oatmeal from breakfast hadn't stuck with him for very long. But, he didn't have any money to actually _buy _any food, so... He declined anything when Amy asked again, claiming that he was still full from breakfast.

He really wished he could get his paycheck early so at least he'd have a little money lining his pocket. It would make situations far less humiliating after all.

They browsed through more stands for another hour or so before Amy decided it was time to go home; and after loading the crates in the back of the truck they were back on the road.

Overall Castiel thought it was a halfway decent day. Amy was definitely pleasant to be around, even out of the work place, and despite that strange man that had been following them... Nothing else unusual had happened.

Somehow... He could see himself growing rather attached to that small town and the people there...

* * *

><p>Two weeks passed and the town was in the thralls of their Halloween festival, which Castiel had come to notice seemed to be something rather significant here. The streetlights were decorated with hanging jack-o-lanterns, shop windows were covered in more haunting decor... And Castiel couldn't help but wonder just how humans could celebrate such a morbid holiday.<p>

But, the holiday wasn't something he was going to concern himself with at the moment. Even though Amy had him helping her hang decorations in the diner window all morning. Instead, his mind was preoccupied by another little issue at hand.

He'd come to find out rather quickly that he couldn't exactly cash his checks. He didn't have a bank account, he had no identification, no social security number, whatever in blazes that was, which meant that as far as money went... He still had none. His two paychecks he'd earned over the last two weeks were still currently laying on his counter, and he had no idea how he was going to go about actually cashing them.

Asking Amy for assistance was completely out of the question, even though he knew she'd jump at the chance to help him. But, it was embarrassing, and he couldn't exactly tell her that the reason why he had no identification or social security number, was because not six months ago he had been an angel and had no use for any of that.

That's when he came to the conclusion that he needed help. To be more specific... Sam's help. So, after he was finished hanging the Halloween decorations in the windows, he borrowed Olive's cell phone and took a seat in a quiet corner booth, dialing Sam's number.

Really, he had no idea how Sam was going to respond to his call. For all he knew, Sam could have wanted nothing to do with him just as much as Dean did.

"Hello?" Sam answered.

"Sam?" Castiel let out a sigh, it was good to hear his friends voice.

"Cas? What the hell, man? Where are you? Where have you been?" Sam frantically spat out. "You just took off from the bunker out of no where, what was that about?"

Castiel felt his brows squeeze together. Perhaps Dean hadn't told him that he had essentially _thrown_ him out of the bunker?

"Well that's a long story that I can't exactly get into right now," Castiel replied. "I actually called because I need some help and I figured that you would be the most qualified to do it."

"Uh, okay," Sam said, and Castiel could tell by his tone that he had a million questions but wasn't going to ask them. "What's up?"'

"I've been... I've been working, I have a job, Sam; and my own apartment, but... I seem to have some issues. I can't cash my checks without the proper identification and a social security number, which of course I don't have... And, I don't know how to make any either, and I know that you do. You've done that before, so... I was wondering if you could possibly-"

"Yeah," Sam interrupted. "I get it, Cas. No problem. Sure, I can help you out. Where are you? Cause once I'm done I'll need to mail them."

Castiel heaved out a relieved sigh. At least Sam was the same. And after giving him the address and thanking him a million times over, he hung up and got back to work. Sam wasn't exactly too thrilled once he learned that Castiel had actually used their surname. But, in a way he also found it amusing. He did make sure to point out several times over though that he wasn't going to tell Dean about it, because he would, as Sam claimed, "bitch" about it.

Once his shift was coming to an end, he took his usual seat at the bar and sipped at a glass of soda. Amy was rather considerate when it came to eating and drinking on the job, and wouldn't pitch a fit about her workers drinking from the soda fountain. But, Castiel was just trying to fill his stomach until he could return to his apartment and find something to eat for dinner.

He was running out of canned goods. He had a few cans of corn left, and one can of ravioli. After that... He was going to have to figure out some way of acquiring more groceries, because it would be rather pathetic to have your own home and a decent paying job and still starve to death. And, he grumbled to himself, his perfectly written shopping list was still stuck to the mini fridge in the kitchen... He hadn't even been able to use it.

"Have a good night," Amy said to the last customer that evening. "Come again."

After the door closed, the bell jingling dying down, she moved over and locked the door and hung up the "Closed" sign.

"Well," She huffed, moving to the bar and sitting down with him. "Today was pretty crazy, right?"

He nodded. "It did seem to be busier than usual."

"That's festival season for ya," She nodded. "So, how bout some pie? We got leftovers?"

He tried not to get too excited over that. "If that's all right, I would love some."

Because he certainly didn't want to fill up on canned corn tonight for his dinner, he thought.

She nodded and jumped down, moving to the pie rack on the edge of the bar and pulling out the only pie that was left, which appeared to be pumpkin. After dishing up two large slices, she was back to sitting beside him and they ate in silence for several long minutes.

"So are you gonna go to the festival tomorrow night?" She asked, after taking her last bite.

"Excuse me?" He replied.

"Yeah, that's when the good stuff starts. The kids have a Halloween costume competition, it's actually pretty cute. And there's games and things like that if that's your thing. Some might think it's kinda lame, but... I guess you have to be a small town girl to appreciate it."

"Oh..." He stared down at what was left of his pie before taking another bite. "Well I suppose I didn't even think about going."

"You should." She added. "We're all gonna be there. I'm gonna be meeting up with Olive and a couple other people, you should come too."

His eyes shifted back and forth as he felt his face burning red. "Oh well... I suppose we'll see what happens."

"Well if you do wanna come," She went on, sliding off her chair. "We're gonna meet up in town square at 6:30."

He watched her move back into the kitchen before letting out a deep breath...

Being normal required actually going on outings like that, he figured. Being normal meant conversing and getting acquainted with people. And he knew that if he wanted any chance of passing off as normal, then he would need to do those "normal human" things. Still... He wouldn't have been so against it if it was only Amy that would be there. Somehow, he had a feeling that if he was with a large group of people then he would stick out like a sore thumb... Either that or he would be invisible and no one would notice him, no one would speak to him, and he would feel like an outsider.

But, after washing up the last of the dishes and helping Amy wipe down the tables and mop the floors... He left the diner and returned to his apartment.

It was almost too late for dinner, but his stomach was still grumbling, so he heated up his last can of ravioli on the stove before sitting on the loveseat in front of the television.

He didn't really watch much television, he noticed. Instead he would just turn it on to have some sort of noise in the apartment. While he relished the quiet, sometime it was maddening. It was just too quiet in his home, too lonely and just... Empty.

After a large scalding bite of ravioli he let out a sigh, deciding that yes... Yes he _would_ meet Amy at the festival tomorrow. If not just because it was considered "normal" but so that he could spare himself sitting in empty silent apartment feeling that sinking loneliness.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you to all that's following and favorited this story :) **_

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><p>The door jingling was the first thing that caught Sam's attention as he stepped into the small corner diner. Really, he wasn't sure what he was going to expect here. It was odd enough he thought that Cas had actually gotten a job at all, let alone as a bus boy at a diner. It seemed so... Well, not quite fitting for a former angel of heaven, and at the same time, it did seem to suit him. It suited him because Cas just seemed the type to work in a quiet little place in a quiet little town like this, but also it was strange because he'd been an angel. He'd fought in god knows how many battles and just the thought of him being human now, being somewhat normal... Sam had take a moment to pause at that.<p>

With a quick glance around the diner, he noticed there weren't many people there so early in the morning, and after examining the Halloween decorations everywhere, moved to the bar and took a seat.

It didn't take long for a pretty young woman to approach and give him a smile.

"Hi there," She said, and he glanced to the name tag reading the name Amy. "Do you want a menu or do you know what you want?"

"Coffee, thanks-" Sam replied, giving his own kind smile. He understood now maybe why Cas had taken a job here if it meant working with Amy. She was beautiful. "And actually... I'm here looking for a friend of mine, his name's Cas. I was told he works here?"

"Oh," She stopped after pouring a cup of coffee. "Yeah, his shift doesn't start until eight. Pretty sure he's in his place out back."

"Is it all right if I go back there, or?"

"Sure," She shrugged. "Just head on through the kitchen and out the exit."

That was surprising, Sam thought, that she would just allow him to move freely through the diner without a seconds thought. But, he shook that off and after laying down some money for the coffee, moved back behind the bar and through the kitchen.

He probably should have called first, he should have let Cas know that he was going to hand deliver the things he asked for, but... If he called then there was a chance Cas would object to him coming. Besides, it was Cas... Why would he be angry at him showing up?

After moving through he kitchen and going out the back exit, he paused in the decent sized yard and noticed a little brick building that had been refurbished as an apartment. With a sigh he made a beeline for that now, pausing at the door for a good few seconds, then gave a nice loud knock, hoping that Cas was actually out of bed so early this morning. It was a little past six, and he was regretting not waiting at least until noon to pop in on him.

Only a few seconds passed before the door pulled open, and once Castiel saw who was standing there his eyes went wide.

"Sam." He uttered. "What are you... What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Cas-" Sam replied first and foremost, giving a small smile. "I just though I'd come and give you your ID and SS card."

Castiel looked past him, examining the closed exit door on the diner, then swallowed hard. "Well... Come in."

After moving aside, Sam took a step into the apartment and gave it a good once over.

"Not bad, Cas-" He said. "Really, this is pretty nice."

"Thank you, Sam-" Castiel cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was very fortunate to be offered this place. So... I suppose it's customary to offer guests something to drink, but I'm afraid I only have water?"

"That's okay," Sam chuckled. "Don't put yourself out or anything. I'm not gonna be here long, since you go to work at eight." He motioned to the bag slung over his shoulder. "Well, let me show you what I got."

"This way," Castiel said, leading him to the table in the kitchen. "Sit down, please." He moved to the second chair at the table and sat himself, then let out a sigh. "So, where's Dean?"

"Back at the bunker," Sam replied, then pulled the contents of his bag out. "We had a little disagreement and I decided I needed a breather, so... Here I am."

"I see," Castiel watched as Sam laid what was obviously a drivers license and some other form of card down on the table. "Did you happen to tell him where you were going?"

"No," Sam shook his head. "I just kinda left after I got your stuff ready. Didn't tell him where I was going... Didn't tell him I talked to you either, actually. I didn't know whether or not you wanted me to tell Dean where you were or what you were doing."

"Thank you for that, Sam-" Castiel nodded. "It's not as though I don't want to see Dean, but... I think that I just need time here to get myself adjusted to being normal, having a job and a home, and things of that nature before... Well, actually before I spoke to either of you, but I needed assistance with my identification issue, and-"

"Yeah," Sam cut him off. "I get it. And, uh... I'm sorry that I barged in here without calling you first. Now that I think about it, I know I should have..." Pausing, he slid the ID across the table to him. "Drivers license, Cas Winchester-" Pausing again he tried not to chuckle. "I claimed that you were born in 1978, which would make you thirty six, I figured that would be believable."

Castiel nodded. "I'm assuming so."

"And," Sam went on, sliding another card to him. "Social security number. Try not to give it away too much. Only use it for opening your bank account because, obviously, it's a stolen number so you need to be careful."

"I understand." Castiel grabbed both cards and examined them closely

After nodding in approval, he shoved them both in his pocket.

"Oh," Sam went on, holding up a finger. "Hang on a second, got one more thing for you." He rummaged through his own pocket before pulling out his wallet, then pulled out a credit card. "This is for you too, don't worry about the monthly payments, okay? Max limit is five thousand, so don't go too crazy."

Castiel stared at the card for a moment with his eyes as wide as saucers. "Five thousand?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, urging him to take it. "Should help you out every now and then, right?"

He swallowed hard at that, plucking the card from his fingers in wonderment. "But... Is this all right? You claimed not to worry about the monthly payments, but if I'm not making them then who is?"

"I will," Sam replied quickly. "Don't worry about that. I wanna help you out as much as I can, so... Yeah, just take the card it's not a big deal."

"Oh, I don't know if I can accept this, Sam-" He tried to hand the card back. "That's too much and I don't want anyone paying for me."

"Believe me, Cas-" Sam chuckled. "After everything you've done for me and Dean, we owe you big time."

"No, you don't owe me anything," Still he tried to give the card back. "It's one thing to create me a fake ID, but it's another to actually give me a credit card and then expect me to not even pay for it myself... I can't allow that."

Sighing, Sam sat back and shrugged. "Okay, well... Still keep the card, and if you want to make the payments go ahead. But, take my advice, don't go crazy with it. You'd be surprised how fast five grand blows away."

With a nod, Castiel placed that card in his pocket as well. "Thank you then, Sam."

"No problem." He stared around the little home. "So, how's things going? With the job and everything I mean."

"Very well, much better than I would have expected actually," Castiel replied. "The people in this town are surprisingly friendly and kind, and those that I work with too are pleasant company."

Smiling faintly, Sam nodded. "That's good. So, who was the young woman I met in the diner? Is she a friend of yours?"

"Young woman? Are you referring to Amy?"

"Yeah, that was her name." Sam nodded again. "She seemed nice."

"She is, very nice. She owns the diner, she offered me a job and she's renting me this apartment, so... Yes, she's a..." He paused, feeling his face turn red. "She's a good friend."

Trying to hide his smirk, Sam covered his mouth and gave a little cough. "Well, I should get going. Your shift starts in two hours, so..."

"Oh," Castiel stood, following Sam's lead. "Well you don't have to leave just yet. If anything you should take the time to eat some breakfast at the diner before you make the drive back to Kansas."

"Thanks, but I'll have to take a rain check. As much as I needed a breather from my brother, we got work to do so I have to get back." He started for the door. "So, don't be a stranger, okay? If you need anything else don't hesitate to call, Cas."

Castiel followed him to the door, opening it for him as Sam stepped back outside.

"Thank you for everything, Sam-" Castiel retorted. "And... Tell Dean I said hello, and maybe after I've gotten more settled both of you could come for a visit?"

"Yeah, I'm sure that'll end up happening before you know it," Sam gave a small wave. "See ya around, Cas."

Castiel waved as well, watching Sam move back through the yard and instead of going back inside the diner, moved to the door on the fence and left that way. After he was gone, Castiel let out a solemn sigh.

It was nice to see Sam again, and it was nice to know that he didn't harbor any resentment towards him as it seemed Dean did. He could only assume that Dean resented him anyhow, seeing is that he asked him to leave the bunker.

But, after he knew Sam was long gone, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the credit card, then promptly grabbed his shopping list from the refrigerator. At last he could finally go grocery shopping, and it was perfect timing as a matter of fact seeing is that his cabinets were bare now, and he hadn't had any breakfast. So, after grabbing his jacket he left the apartment and locked it behind him.

The grocery store wasn't far from the diner, a few blocks thankfully, but that's just the way it was in small towns. Everything was compact and within walking distance.

Since he didn't have a vehicle he knew he couldn't go overboard with purchasing groceries, because he would have to carry everything home. And, also he had two hours before his shift started, so he knew he couldn't take the time he wanted to take to examine everything thoroughly before purchasing them. Which is why he decided to just stick with the basics for right now. Meat and vegetables, maybe some fruit, bread and milk and nothing more. He could do more shopping tomorrow, since it was going to be his day off.

The trek to the grocery store only took five minutes, and once inside he waited behind an elderly woman before grabbing a cart.

He had to admit that this felt unusual... He had tried to do shopping before in the past, before the angels fell, but that was for Sam and Dean. He tried his best to find the things that they liked, such as pie, beef jerky and Dean's pornographic magazines... It was a peace offering, he imagined. At least that's what he saw it as, because Dean was angry with him at the time. Which, now that he thought about it, seemed to be a regular occurrence.

Shopping for himself however, there was something very lonesome about it.

So, he moved through the aisles with his mind halfway in a fog, grabbing his necessities and wondering what it would have been like if he wasn't completely alone and he wasn't only shopping for himself. For a split fraction of a second he actually wondered what it would have been like had he a family, and someone to come home to.

After having that thought he stopped dead in his tracks with a can of pineapple in his hands. What in the world made him think of that, and completely out of no where too? It was nothing short of confusing.

He had been an angel, and yes he thought of Sam and Dean as brothers, but this was different... It wasn't brothers he was thinking about, that wasn't the type of family he had in mind, which naturally was confounding.

But, he shook that off and tossed the pineapple into his cart before moving to the back of the store and grabbing ground beef, hamburger buns, and whatever else he would need for bacon cheeseburgers. He had never attempted to cook his own cheeseburger before and he had a feeling it was going to be an epic failure the first time, but... He had to learn sometime.

Last but not least he threw a small bag of potatoes in the cart, several cans of vegetables and more tea bags because he couldn't _not _have his morning tea.

Halfway up to the registers he felt his feet slow because he had gone and forgotten completely that he had no breakfast items. And, at a quick glance to his cart, he knew he was already going to be lugging back several hefty bags. So, he simply grabbed more microwave oatmeal and then was done with everything.

Paying was unusual, he had never used a credit card before, and after holding up the line for a good ten minutes as he continuously swiped the blasted thing before he got it right, he headed home.

Thankfully the bags weren't too heavy, although one did rip halfway home and spilled his groceries all over the ground. But, once he got home he started to put everything away, making sure to keep it arranged as neatly as possible and for some reason he found himself color coding everything. Pineapple and corn went together because they were both yellow, green beans and spinach naturally because they were green.

Once finished he realized he still had an hour before his shift started, so he decided to try his hand at preparing his first bacon cheeseburger. He didn't figure that was an appropriate meal for breakfast, but he wanted something heavy.

Halfway through however, he found that cooking something other than canned ravioli was considerably more difficult. By the time he was finished his burger seemed more like a lump of charcoal and the bacon wasn't cooked nearly enough. He ate it anyhow because he was just that hungry and made a mental note to observe the cooks in the diner if he had a spare moment.

Thankfully it didn't taste as horrible as he imagined it would, and after readying for his shift he entered the diner by the backdoor, just as he did everyday.

His shift was over at 4:30, which meant that he still had two hours to talk himself out of meeting Amy and her friends at the festival. In truth, he was more than apprehensive about attending that festival. And if it was _anyone _but Amy that had asked him he would have no qualms with refusing and staying home like he wanted to do.

But, she did ask him, and Amy had been so nice to him it felt wrong to refuse the invitation no matter how uncomfortable he knew he was going to be.

To his dismay once he started his shift he noticed that Amy wasn't there anymore, and according to Olive she had errands to run and wouldn't be back that day. Castiel was confused for a moment as to why he had even asked Olive at all why Amy was missing, it certainly wasn't any of his business.

And, unfortunately his shift felt like it dragged on and on and on. Not only that but he slipped on some spilled soda and dropped several plates, and then ended up splattering coffee all over himself too. All in all it was a horrible day at work, and he felt his mood dwindling more and more as 4:30 finally rolled around.

He clocked out and returned to his apartment, kicking off his shoes and throwing off his clothes before jumping in the shower.

Going to that festival was the very last thing he wanted to do now. If it was towards the bottom of the list of things he didn't want to do before, then it was completely the last in line now. Especially since he had spilled coffee all over his only shirt, so he couldn't very well show up in that.

After his shower he felt a little better. At least enough to make himself a sandwich which he ate in front of the TV. And, now he had another hour before 6:30, and... As much as he would have liked to avoid the festival he knew that he couldn't. For one, he didn't want to disappoint Amy, and another... He just didn't want to be alone for yet another night.

He didn't have time to do the dishes right now, so he grabbed his hoodie and zipped it up to cover the coffee stain and left his apartment again. Only now he made his way to a little clothing boutique on Main Street. He needed new clothes anyhow, he needed more than one pair of jeans and one shirt. But for right now he was just settling with a shirt because he figured once he found one, it would be time to head for town square.

As it turns out, clothes shopping was even more difficult than buying groceries. He wasn't certain what his own, as the shop girl had called "personal style" happened to be. If anything he figured he was simple, and wanted to stick with an ensemble that wouldn't stand out. Plain colors, plain patterns, nothing flashy. Like his past suit and trench coat, that wasn't at all flashy and he missed it. But, going around sporting that attire nonstop with his new job and new life wouldn't make much sense. Before, he was an angel and didn't have to worry about a closet full of clothes.

"So, what do you think of this one?" The young lady said, holding up a dark blue button up shirt. "It fits your criteria, right?"

He cocked his head to the side and eyed it up and down. Dark midnight blue, button up and plain, just as he preferred. In fact, it seemed like something that Dean might sport over his usual t-shirts.

"That would be fine, thank you." He nodded.

"Do you want to try it on?" The girl continued.

"No, I don't have the time for that, but, uh-" He eyed the racks of clothes. "What would you suggest I wear underneath it?"

"Depends on what kind of look you're going for. Is it casual, or do you need to look a little more dressed up?"

"Uh," He fumbled at that. "Well, I'm just going to the Halloween festival this evening, so-"

"Alone?" She interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you going alone?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I'm meeting a friend there."

She smirked. "A lady friend?"

"As a matter of fact, yes?"

Where was she going with this?

"Well," She smirked again. "Then I would say to just wear this and only this. It's nicer."

He wasn't certain why the sales girl kept looking at him like that, but he ignored it anyhow and paid for the shirt and changed in the dressing rooms before leaving the shop all together.

Making the walk to where the festival was happening was nerve wracking. He could feel a knot in his stomach growing larger and larger the closer he got and the more people he passed. By the time he actually reached where the festival was in full swing, he was about ready to fidget out of his clothes.

Town square was jam packed with people, food stands, Halloween decorations and several games of some sort. Children practically stampeded past him as they ran towards a horse drawn carriage with a sign that read "Hay ride". With all the chaos around him he had no idea how he was going to find Amy through it all. This was the busiest he had ever seen this town in the short two weeks of residing in it, and it halfway made him nervous because just as always he never knew when one of his fallen siblings could be hiding amongst a crowd. But, everyone seemed to be too focused on the festivities to even notice him, so he highly doubted anyone here was an angel. For the moment anyhow, he felt he was safe.

Moving through the crowd now, he came to the dead center of the festival where a large gazebo sat with a live band, turning a small circle and eying all of the stringed lights brightening up the park. Really, everything was rather lovely with all of the lights and autumn decorations, it somehow made his mind momentarily forget the awkwardness he was bound to experience the remainder of the night.

A good five minutes passed and he didn't spot Amy at all, and he didn't want to stand there like an idiot so he moved to a coffee stand and got a small coffee. Afterwards, he moved over to a bench that was empty and took a seat.

Ten minutes later he finally spotted someone he recognized which was Olive and her grandson Timothy. Seconds after that Amy emerged from the crowd, but she wasn't alone. She was holding the hand of a little girl, one that was a spitting image of Amy as a matter of fact. Same long wavy brown hair, same alabaster skin, everything was identical.

She couldn't have been more than five years old, and she was clinging to Amy's hand and hiding her face in her coat once they met up with Olive and her grand son.

Now that Amy had showed herself, Castiel felt himself even more nervous and uncomfortable. He halfway wondered if he could sneak behind a group of teenagers dressed as vampires and witches, and escape unseen. But, after having that notion did Amy's eyes scale the crowd and she spotted him sitting on the bench.

After that he went noticeably stiff, and when she smiled and waved him over he awkwardly moved to stand and practically tripped over his own feet as he walked over to them.

"Hey, Cas-" Amy said. "You made it."

He nodded, noticing the little girl peering up at him with the same caramel colored eyes as Amy.

"Yes, well... I thought it might be nice to see what this festival was all about." He replied.

Amy smiled at that and then tugged on the little girls hand. "This is my daughter Annabelle, but we call her Belle. Belle, this is my friend Cas."

She gave a timid little wave before yet again burying her face in Amy's coat.

"Hello, Belle," Cas tried to smile but it came off as stiff and awkward. "I wasn't aware you had a daughter, Amy."

"Yeah, she was with her father for the month. He's only in the country one month out of the year, so she just got back today." She stared down at her and chuckled. "And, she's a little shy at first and likes to hide."

"That's all right," He crouched down to her level and tried to look at her, and she managed a few peaks before yet again hiding her face. "I can be shy at times too, Belle."

"Why don't you tell Cas what your costume is going to be for the contest?" Amy said, tugging on her hand.

Belle peaked out long enough to say, "A butterfly." Before hiding her face for the third time.

Castiel smiled at that. "Well you're certainly going to make a very pretty butterfly."

She giggled slightly before Castiel stood again.

"She wanted something that could fly, and had wings, so... It was either a butterfly or a fairy." Amy added.

He understood the want for having wings... He missed his quite a lot, especially if he had to walk for very long distances.

Now came whatever came with attending a festival like this, which Castiel found out relatively quickly it was mainly for Belle and Timothy. Children seemed to have a much greater time than the adults, although he could admit that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. He didn't mind so much watching the children play the games, and even though he was quiet the majority of the time and simply followed Amy and Olive, it was certainly better than being alone in his apartment.

When it came time for the children's costume competition, he took a position towards the back of the crowd because it seemed both women had to go back stage, or back behind the gazebo and to a tent, to assist Timothy and Belle into getting into their costumes.

Going by how dark it was now he knew it was well past dinner time, and his growling stomach was proof of that. There were dozens of food stands around, as well as an outdoor barbeque station with picnic tables just shy of the main area. The scent of that had been teasing him all night as a matter of fact.

The costume competition was interesting, and there were several children that had put quite a lot of imagination into their costumes. Belle came in fourth, but it didn't matter because everyone still got a ribbon, and once it was over they actually made their way to the barbeque stand, much to Castiel's relief.

After they had sat down with their food did Olive and Timothy go their own way, and Castiel watched them go with his stomach dropping to his feet. Now it was just him, Amy and her daughter... Which meant that he was going to have to come up with conversation topics on his own... Which meant that... He was essentially _alone_ with Amy. Not that he hadn't been alone with her before, because he had... Several times, but this felt different. This held no ties to work, it was a social outing, and just... Considerably more difficult.

"So," Amy was the one to break the silence. "It wasn't so bad, right?"

He froze with his cheek bulging with pulled pork sandwich. "Pardon?"

"The festival, you didn't think it was that bad did you?"

Swallowing, he washed the bite down with a sip of soda. "No, certainly not. It was very interesting."

"You must be a city boy," She chuckled. "Never having been to any kind of festival before."

"Well, in the past my life was always rather hectic and there wasn't time for things like that unfortunately."

She nodded, nibbling on a fry. "What did you used to do? If you don't mind me asking?"

Now he froze, because he just had to mention his past. How in the world would he explain that he had been an angel? That the reason he had never experienced anything that normal humans did was because not so long ago he wasn't even human?

Thankfully Amy's attention was diverted to Belle who had smeared barbeque sauce all over her face, so it gave him the opportunity to pull a lie out of the air.

"I was a soldier." He answered. And, thankfully it wasn't all a lie. Technically he was a soldier, only it was a soldier in heaven.

"Really?" Amy replied, turning to face him again. "That's pretty incredible. Where did you serve?"

He swallowed again before averting his eyes to his plate. "Everywhere it seems."

She eyed him carefully, noticing how tense his shoulders happened to be so she quickly dropped the subject. In her opinion it made sense that he might have been a soldier. He held that shell shocked look and had fallen on hard times, like many former soldiers did.

"Mommy," Belle said. "Can I play on the swing sets?"

She pointed to the playground area not far from the barbeque place.

"Stay where I can see you." Amy replied, and the little girl jumped up from her seat.

"Cas, you wanna come play too?" The little girl asked now.

He froze again before dropping his sandwich back to his plate. "Uh well-"

"He's eating, sweetie," Amy interrupted. "Maybe he'll play next time, okay?"

Belle frowned her way from the table and to the swing set not twenty feet from their picnic table.

"I think you've made a new friend." Amy chuckled. "Which is a surprise because Belle doesn't really warm up to people very easily."

"Oh?" Castiel replied. "Because she's so young?"

She shook her head. "No, she's been that way ever since her dad and I got divorced. She took it pretty hard, and then he moved out of the country and she only sees him one month out of the year. I'm only guessing, but I think she's stand offish because she thinks if she gets close to someone again they're going to leave like her dad did. But... I'm not a child therapist, so I could be wrong."

Castiel watched the little girl swinging beside another child and both were giggling and screaming.

"She seems to be happy though." He commented.

Although he knew absolutely nothing about children.

"She is," Amy smiled. "So, do you have any kids?"

"No, no children." He replied quickly. "I've never been married before, so..." Pausing, he tried to pull a question out of thin air so it wouldn't all rely on Amy. "So you've only been married once?"

What kind of question was that to ask? Not only was it none of his business, but it was... Well, none of his business.

"Yeah only once," She answered anyhow. "Really, it shouldn't have even happened the one time, but... I was young and stupid and thought I knew what I was doing. My parents had just died in an accident, I was eighteen and like I said, stupid... I ran off with my high school boyfriend and we eloped. Not even six weeks in and I knew I made the biggest mistake of my life, but I was stuck," She stopped and suddenly sat up straight. "Oh wow, I'm sorry... I guess if given the opportunity I blab out everything."

"It's fine, I don't mind. You can continue if you'd like?"

Her brows raised at that. "Well, yeah I was stuck I guess. I had it in my head that with my parents gone, I couldn't make it on my own so I stayed in a really horrible marriage and then five years later once I finally got the nerve to leave I found out I was pregnant. As it turns out that was the nudge I really needed to get out, because I couldn't raise my child in a situation like that, so... Here we are five years later, and... In my opinion I think we're doing okay."

He smiled faintly and took another bite. "I'm inclined to agree with you. You've got your own business that seems to be successful and your own home. There certainly are a lot of people less fortunate."

She pushed her empty plate aside and let out a sigh. "So I pretty much blabbed my life story, so if there's anything you ever want to talk about then go for it."

Castiel might have been, according to Dean, a baby in a trench coat; but even he knew that was Amy's not so subtle way of trying to learn something about him. And, as a matter of fact he did want to talk to her, but there just wasn't a way for him to talk about his past without somehow making the mistake of giving away too much.

"Well," He cleared his throat, wishing he had more food to shove in his mouth so he wouldn't have to speak. "There's not really much to tell. My life hasn't been very exciting and... Being a soldier isn't something that's easy to talk about."

"I understand," Amy nodded. "I imagine that's hard for everyone who's been in the service."

"It's just," After a sigh he somehow blurt out more than he intended. "I made a lot of mistakes, mistakes that I can't take back no matter how badly I might want to. And, it's something that I have to live with for the rest of my life and-" He stopped, realizing what he was saying. "I mean... It's just-"

"It's okay," She interrupted. "Even though I don't know what it's like I know that fighting in wars, or being stationed in other countries where there's constantly violence can't be easy on anyone. My cousin, as a matter of fact, was stationed in Afghanistan. He saw some really crazy and horrible things."

He was thankful she didn't ask him about what mistakes he might have made.

"Anyhow," He slurped up the last of his soda. "Other than that, there's not much to tell about my life. I guess you could say it was boring."

She chuckled. "I wouldn't say that. So, do you have any siblings?"

Slightly freezing at that, he just barely nodded. "Yes I have a few but we're not close at all. And, we don't speak."

"Ah," She sighed. "Yeah I think people have this image that they see on TV that all siblings are close and constantly see each other or call each other. I'm not close to my siblings either."

"Oh," He sat up. "I didn't know you had siblings?"

"They live out of state and only come around for the holidays. But yeah, I got a brother and sister, they're twins and two years older than me."

For a moment they fell into silence as they watched Belle move over and climb the slide.

"So do you have any plans for Halloween? Or are you just gonna stay at home?" She asked now.

"I'll probably stay home," He answered. "Honestly I don't know much about holidays, my family never celebrated them, they just didn't seem to have the time."

"That's funny, mine never really did either. I mean, we did Thanksgiving and Christmas, sure, but it wasn't anything big at all. So when Belle was born I didn't want her to miss out on anything that the other kids had, I guess all the decorations and festivals and things like that really rubbed off on me because of it."

That's why Castiel was certain that Amy was probably a very good mother. It seemed that she was just a pleasant person all around and in every way. Even though he hated to admit it, he was growing more and more fond of her. Which of course was ridiculous of him to feel that way, because it's not as though he was going to stay in this town permanently. It's not as though he had any chance of having some kind of relationship with her because... Well, it just wasn't logical. Not only was she probably not the slightest bit interested in him, but he very well might find that he would need to run from his town and never come back.

Really, that thought was painful. As much as he tried not to, he was already attached to this town, his little apartment and his job. Not to mention Amy just being wonderful and kind.

Still, he couldn't help but ask himself what if? What if he _could _stay in this town permanently, what if his fallen siblings eventually forgot about him and stopped hunting him? What if Amy could possibly look at him in a way other than a friend? Never before in his life did he wonder what having a relationship would be like, but... Now he couldn't help but be curious about it.

What happened with April wasn't at all a relationship. In truth he knew what happened shouldn't have happened at all, not just because she happened to be a reaper that wanted to kill him, but... Because, because doing something so intimate should be done with someone you cared about.

After having that thought he felt his face burn hot and he quickly tried to shake it off. Now he knew he was being completely ridiculous to go and conjure a thought like _that _up out of the blue.

Seconds later Belle came running back to the picnic table in tears because she'd fallen and scraped up her knee. And, for a split second Castiel almost tried to heal her, until he remembered that he wasn't an angel anymore... He didn't have powers, he didn't have wings... He didn't retain anything from this angelic life and... After that he expected to feel some sort of pain or regret, but, oddly enough he didn't which was strange.

"Sorry, Cas-" Amy said. "But I should get her home and take care of her knee, and it's getting to be her bed time."

Belle was sobbing into her mother's shoulder and Castiel stood quickly. "Oh, that's fine, I understand," He leaned over and looked at Belle as she peaked out at him. "I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you." She sniffled.

"Hey," Amy added. "Do you need a ride home? It's on our way?"

He stopped with this paper plate and cup in hand. "Oh, I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"You're not," She chuckled. "What'd you think, Belle? You want us to give Cas a ride home?"

"Yup!" The girl chirped out, forgetting her injured knee instantly.

"Well, all right then, thank you." Castiel nodded.

They started through the crowd and where Amy had parked her truck, and ten minutes later were fighting the traffic from the festival. What normally was a five minute drive somehow grew to twenty minutes, then thirty as they finally managed to make it more than a block.

"Downside to the festival season," Amy stated. "Tourists come from all over the place and it's jammed packed. Stays that way until after Christmas unfortunately." She passed Castiel a glance and a smile. "It's good for businesses though."

"I imagine so," He replied, staring at the myriads of vehicles in front of them and wondering if in one of them was an angel. "But, I can see now why everyone is so fond of-" His words cut off when Belle snuggled up against his arm and dozed off. For a moment he went rigid. "Uh, I can see now why people might be so fond of Holidays."

Amy tried not to chuckle as they moved past the traffic and actually started at a decent speed towards the diner.

Just as always Castiel fell silent, unable to form any type of conversation from being so nervous, every now and then passing quick glimpses to Belle who seemed perfectly comfortable sleeping against him. He supposed he found it endearing in a way, that a little girl could actually be fond of him.

When they pulled to a stop beside the diner just near the backyard, Amy reached over and carefully pulled Belle off of him.

"Sorry about that." She whispered. "But at least you know she likes you."

Castiel smiled slightly at that. "Well she seems to be a very nice little girl."

"Thanks," Amy eyed him for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Well, tonight was fun, Cas."

He only stared at her for several long seconds, wishing he could croak out something other than what he did. "Yes, it was rather interesting."

He could tell by her expression that she was expecting something else out of him, but his mind had gone completely blank.

"We'll see you tomorrow then, have a good night." She finished giving her own weak smile.

After a nod, he muttered a quiet goodnight and left the truck, making his way to the backyard and his little apartment. Once he unlocked the door and stepped inside, the only thing he could do was stand there leaning against the wall with his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

From here on out, he told himself, he was really going to try and improve his social and conversation skills. Because it was becoming even more clear to him that he had some sort of interest in Amy. If he was to be honest with himself it was more than just an interest, in fact it was something he had never felt before which made it difficult to identify. All he knew was that when he was with her... It felt right. Like he should have been there all along. And, well... That was definitely a wonderful feeling, to feel as though he belonged somewhere after centuries and centuries of being an angel and never having that sensation before. Now that he was... He didn't want to lose it.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Halloween, as Castiel had come to notice. He hadn't been keeping track of the days that passed since the festival, so once it was announced in the diner that they were only open until noon; he realized that he had the rest of the day with nothing to do.

So, he decided it would be a good day to clean his apartment from top to bottom. Not that he didn't keep it tidy, because he certainly did. But because Amy was so kind to rent to him, and the rent was so cheap as well, he didn't want to make Amy regret that decision.

In the days that had passed since the festival he had come to realize that he'd made himself a new friend. Belle was in the diner with her mother almost everyday, and he found that the little girl had a tendency to follow him like a puppy. He didn't mind, because she was Amy's child and a well behaved one at that.

People might have been quick to assume that he was only befriending the child just to get on her mothers good side, but that wasn't it. He was genuinely fond of the little girl, and having Amy's approval over it was just a bonus in his opinion. According to Amy, Belle didn't have many friends, she was shy and quiet and other than Timothy, Castiel was it as far as friends went.

But, he had the entire day and night to himself, which he planned on spending at his apartment scrubbing it until it shined. Which he did, and only paused long enough to eat his meals. He didn't know that such a tiny place could take so long to clean, but when you're down on your hands and knees with an old toothbrush scrubbing the grout on the tile floor, that ate up quite a bit of time.

As it turns out, a night at home alone didn't seem to be in the cards for him once he heard a knock at the door.

He glanced to the clock, noticing it nearly ten which he figured was awfully late for visitors. Still he moved from the floor and made certain the apartment was in order before he pulled the door open.

He was surprised to see both Amy and Belle standing there. The little girl was still in her Halloween costume and carrying a plastic pumpkin that was full of candy.

"Hey, Cas." Amy said, and immediately he could tell by her tone that something was wrong. "Sorry to bother you so late, but I didn't have anyone else to go to. I need a favor."

He nodded. "Of course, come in."

Belle was inside first and dove on the loveseat while Amy motioned to somewhere quiet where they could talk which just so happened to be the only place in the apartment which was the kitchen.

"There was an accident," she started. "Timothy was hit by a car, and I've got to go with Olive to the hospital and I didn't want to take Belle with me, that's no place for her, especially if... If Timothy's really bad, you know?" She tried to shake away the tears that were threatening to fall. "Can she stay here with you for a few hours. I'd ask someone else but, you're the only one I trust and the only one she likes."

After passing a glance to the little girl, Castiel nodded. "Yes of course she can stay here. I hope Timothy's going to be all right."

Amy was already moving through the apartment but stopped at the loveseat and crouched down in front of Belle.

"Now you be good, okay? Listen to everything Cas says and don't get into anything, all right?"

"I know, mommy." Belle replied.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, baby." She leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Castiel followed her to the door and pulled it open.

"Thanks for this, Cas. I'll pay you for the time, okay?" Amy said.

"That's not necessary, Amy. I'm happy to help." He replied. "Is there anything that I should do, or anything that Belle shouldn't do?"

She paused and rubbed her head, and he could tell she was trying her best not to crumble.

"Uh, well she hasn't had any dinner yet. And... She'll probably just watch TV and pass out on the couch."

"All right, I'll prepare her some dinner then."

"Thanks again, I gotta go. The ambulance was taking Timothy to the hospital on my drive over here."

She rushed off after a small wave and Castiel hated seeing her so upset and distressed. To think... A few short months ago, he could have healed Timothy of his injuries.

After he closed the door, he turned and watched as Belle dumped her entire container of candy on the love seat and began picking through it.

"You want some?" She asked, holding up a piece and grinning.

"Thank you," He moved over and took it from her. "Now, I don't think your mother would approve of you eating your candy yet with having had no dinner."

"I know," She chirped back. "I'm just lookin at it. I got lots."

"Yes I can see that, it seems as though you did very well tonight."

She paused after making three individual piles of candy. "Cas... Is Timothy gonna be okay? He got hurt."

Cas froze on his way to the kitchen. He didn't want to lie to the girl, but he knew that telling a five year old that getting hit by a vehicle could potentially be very gruesome and deadly was uncalled for.

"Come into the kitchen and we'll find you something to eat," He said instead. "Your mother said you haven't had any dinner."

She jumped down from the loveseat and followed him to the kitchen, climbing up to the table and taking a seat there.

"What would you like, Belle?" He asked now, moving to the cabinets.

"Do you gots spaghetti-o's?" She replied.

"I... I'm afraid I don't have that." Pulling open the mini fridge he let out a sigh. "I could make you a sandwich of some kind, would you like that?"

"Grilled cheese?" She perked up.

"Uh... What exactly is grilled cheese?"

Belle giggled and swung her legs back and forth. "You don't know what grilled cheese is?"

"I'm afraid not. I've never had it before."

She hopped down and pranced to the fridge and pulled out cheese slices, butter and then grabbed the loaf of bread. "Mommy lets me help sometimes. You gotta put it together and then cook it on the stove til the cheese is gooey."

Castiel frowned slightly that a five year old knew how to prepare a grilled cheese sandwich and he didn't."

"All right then, and do you want anything else with the sandwich?" He asked now.

"Ummmm." She hopped back and forth from one foot to the next. "Potato chips?"

He nodded and grabbed the bag from the cabinet, thankful that he had actually decided to purchase them at the store the day before.

"Maybe you should go wash your hands before you eat." He said now and Belle was quick to skip to the bathroom and lock the door.

Nearly two minutes later he heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on before Belle came back out struggling with the back of her costume that was tucked into her leggings.

"I'm stuck," She said, turning a circle as she tried to pull it out. "I had to potty."

Castiel actually felt himself chuckle at that as he crouched down and helped straighten her dress.

"Thanks." She said, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

He was stunned into silence after that, and didn't expect for something like that to affect him so much. Maybe it was because children could read people sometimes even better than adults could. And, if Belle could come to the conclusion that he was normal and kind, and actually liked him... Then maybe it meant being human wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it meant he was doing something right for once. After all of the monumental mistakes he had made, it was about time that he did something right. Even if it was being human, and working as a busboy.

"Sit down and I'll get your meal ready." He said, clearing his throat and moving to the stove.

She trotted back to the table and sat, swinging her legs back and forth again as she waited.

It took him a minute or so to figure out how to prepare a grilled cheese sandwich, and thankfully he managed it on the first try without burning it to a crisp. After he sat it down in front of her, he put a handful of potato chips on her plate, poured her a glass of milk and then sat across from her.

She crammed a huge bite in her mouth, going silent as she ate.

"Did I get it right?" He asked

After nodding, she answered with a full mouth, "Yup, it's yummy."

That was a relief, and it also meant that he must not have been as bad a cook as he thought. Because children, he knew already, could be very contrary when it came to food.

She ate a few more bites before gulping down several mouthfuls of milk and completely coating her upper lip with it.

"Cas," She said. "You're my friend, right?"

He tore his eyes off the window and nodded. "Of course I am, Belle."

"Are you my mommy's friend too?"

Yet again he nodded. "Yes, I'd like to think so."

She took another bite then let out a loud sigh. "Do you like my mommy?"

He arched a brow at that. "Of course, and I like you too."

Her eyes rolled as she dropped her sandwich. "No, Cas. I mean do you like my mommy the way a boyfriend likes a girlfriend?"

That made him freeze as he felt his eyes widen. "I... That's not a very appropriate question for a little girl to ask an adult."

"Why?"

"I just don't think it is." But who was he to say? He didn't know anything about children and this very well might have been how all children acted.

She started tearing the crust off her sandwich before taking another bite. "My mommy likes you."

For what felt like the millionth time he froze in his chair. "Why do you say that?"

"Cause she smiles a lot when you're around," She answered, acting as if the topic was nothing at all. "Mommy only smiles a lot when she likes something."

He swallowed hard, trying to pretend like that didn't faze him at all. Besides, it's not as though the child was right. It's not as though she knew what her mother might have really been feeling. He figured it would be silly to go and get his hopes up for nothing, because if Amy really did like him in that way, well... She didn't show it.

Or, maybe she did, and Castiel just didn't know it? He certainly didn't have any experience with the opposite sex and up until a few months ago he never even had any interest in them simply because he was an angel. But still, he didn't want to go and assume Belle was right about that when she very well might not be. She was a child, five years old, and yes maybe Amy was her mother and she might know her better than anyone, but this was different.

Not only could Belle be wrong, but it was just silly he figured to actually go and assume that Amy had some sort of interest in him, simply because one day he would have to leave. He had to be realistic, no matter how much he hated it, that one day his fallen siblings might track him down here. And the last thing he would want to do would be to endanger Amy or Belle's lives.

Still, he was surprised that the thought of ever leaving this town hurt so badly. It left an ache in the pit of his stomach that didn't want to go away, so he quickly shook those thoughts from his mind and let out a sigh.

"Do you want anything else?" He asked.

Belle took her last bite of sandwich and shook her head. "Not-uh, but can I have some of my candy now?"

"Maybe a few pieces," He answered. "But, since I don't know how much your mother would approve of, it only needs to be a few, all right?"

"Okay," She jumped down from her seat and carried her dishes to the sink and dropped them in. "Thanks for supper, Cas, it was good. Can I watch TV?"

"Of course," He smiled. "Go sit down and find whatever you want... That is... As long as it's not inappropriate."

Belle didn't seem to hear that as she pranced back into the living room and dove on the loveseat, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels until stopping on some sort of Halloween cartoon special.

Castiel washed her dishes then joined her, taking seat in the armchair and falling silent. Belle for the moment seemed to be enamored with the cartoon she was watching, as she munched on her candy. An hour later she had fallen asleep and Castiel stood and covered her with the throw that was draped over the loveseat.

Now, all it seemed he could do was wait for Amy to return, and hopefully she would come with good news. It would be horrible for Belle to lose one of her only friends. Even worse than that would be if Castiel himself had to leave one day. Maybe most would think it was silly to worry over a five year old little girls feelings, but Castiel couldn't help it. She was a very good child, very sweet, and he was fond of her.

After a long yawn, he went into an exhausted daze as he stared at the television. Before long he obviously dozed off, because when he was jolted awake he heard a quiet knocking at the door.

He pulled himself up, rubbing his eyes and shaking off the sleep he was still half under, and opened the door.

It was Amy, as he suspected, so he quickly allowed her entrance.

"Hey," She whispered, noticing Belle sound asleep. "How was she?"

"Perfect," He answered. "No issues at all."

"Good," She smiled. "Did she eat dinner?"

"Yes, she had a grilled cheese sandwich and potato chips."

She knelt down and kissed her forehead after that.

"Would you..." Castiel paused and fidgeted on his feet. "Would you like something to drink or do you just want to head on home?"

She stood and rubbed her forehead. "Um... Well I don't want to bother you or anything."

"You're not," He replied quickly. "I mean... I just assumed you might need to talk about what happened tonight."

"Yeah," She let out a deep breath. "That would be nice, Cas. Thanks."

He led the way to the kitchen and she took a seat at the table, rubbing her head.

"Is tea all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's perfect actually." She nodded.

Thankfully it didn't take long for the kettle to boil, and after he had her tea prepared he sat down across from her.

"So, is Timothy all right?" He asked now.

She nodded and took a sip. "Yeah, he got really lucky. He's got a broken leg, and a concussion, and had some internal bleeding and had to have surgery, but... He's gonna be okay."

"That's a relief, and how's Olive handling it?"

"Better than I would have, honestly." She stopped and Castiel noticed her eyes fill with tears. "God, it was so horrible, Cas-" She said now. "And if... If Belle was five seconds earlier stepping off that curb it would've been her that got hit, and... And I don't know what I would have done if that happened."

He froze in his seat once she started sobbing into her hands, unsure of what to do. It would be logical to assume that a person in this situation would offer some form of comfort to the one distressed, but... He wasn't exactly well skilled in something like that. He was always awkward, and made everyone else around him feel awkward as well. But still, he knew he couldn't just sit there while she was crying, that would just make him seem cold and unfeeling. So, even though he knew he would probably make the situation ten times worse and just plain uncomfortable, he scooted his chair closer and put his arm around her shoulders. To his surprise and relief she didn't try to pull away and instead only seemed to crumble, before leaning over and resting her forehead on his shoulder.

"It's all right," He said, because he simply didn't know what else to say. "Belle's fine, and Timothy's going to be fine too."

"I'm sorry," She sniffed, pulling away and wiping her eyes. "I'm sure that's the last thing you wanted to deal with tonight, Cas."

"It's perfectly fine, I don't mind." He replied, trying to give a smile.

She wiped her eyes again before glancing to the clock on the wall. "Oh jeez, it's almost three in the morning. I'm so sorry, Cas. I should get Belle home and let you go to bed."

Now she moved from the kitchen and back into the living room, reaching down and uncovering Belle and tried to scoop her up.

"Here, let me," Castiel whispered. "I can carry her out."

"Thanks." She smiled.

He was careful about picking the child up from the loveseat so he wouldn't wake her, and then followed Amy outside and through the yard and gate to where she had her truck parked. He ignored the cold chill outside, and the fact that he didn't put on shoes before taking the trek outside, as she opened the passenger door and he laid Belle on the seat. After she carefully closed the door again she turned and let out a sigh.

"Thanks for helping me out tonight, Cas. Really, thank you." She said.

"You're quite welcome, Amy. You can... Well, if you ever need help with anything else, you can always ask me."

It was pitch black outside except for the lone streetlight shining above them.

"Well, goodnight." She said, then leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek. "See you tomorrow."

With a little wave she climbed in the truck and slowly pulled away from the curb, disappearing down the dark street. And long after they were gone Castiel could only stand there frozen stiff with his eyes widened.

He knew better than to read that kiss on the cheek as anything other than what it was, which was just her way of saying thank you for watching her daughter, but... Castiel couldn't help but feel elated at the action.

* * *

><p>Two weeks passed since Timothy's accident, and it was just two more weeks of Castiel adjusting to his new human life. He never expected that he would grow so fond of everything. Even the little things, like having his morning tea while glancing over the newspaper was something that he rather enjoyed. He couldn't help but wonder though what his former self, the Castiel who had been the angel that raised Dean Winchester from perdition, would have thought about him now. He would probably lecture him, tell him how foolish it was to become so attached to this town, the people and his new little home. He would tell him that first and foremost, he was an angel, a soldier for heaven... Not human.<p>

But that was the Castiel of the past. The one that didn't understand what emotions were, or what having friends would be like. That was the Castiel that followed orders blindly, and didn't care about anything.

He didn't miss that side of him. Not at all. Not now that he knew what it was like to have friends, to have family. Brothers that actually acted like brothers. Sam and Dean. Yes, in the past he had his siblings in heaven but... They weren't real siblings. They didn't know what it was like to care either, so... To him it just wasn't the same.

"Cas look," Belle said, breaking through his thoughts. "Look what I colored."

He moved from the table he was wiping down and glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh that's very nice," He commented. "I never would have imagined that unicorns could be pink and green."

"Do you like em?" Belle returned.

"Certainly, they're very pretty."

She beamed at that before tearing the page out of the coloring book and holding it out to him. "Then you can have it. Mommy's got a bunch of my pictures up on the fridge at home."

He took it and passed a small smile. "Thank you. My apartment needs some nice artwork anyhow."

Belle only giggled before returning to her coloring book and scribbling around. Castiel folded the picture and placed it in his pocket, returning to his previous table and finishing with it before moving to the bar.

It had been a rather hectic two weeks since Timothy's accident because Olive couldn't come in for her shifts. So, he found that he was working overtime, as Amy called it, but he didn't mind. She was there every day too, as well as Belle, so it helped to take his mind off his exhaustion.

Halloween was over and done with, but it didn't matter. Thanksgiving, apparently, was right around the corner and then Christmas after that. So, Amy had him busy putting up more holiday decorations.

Amy came out from the back of the kitchen and sat her daughters dinner down on the bar.

"Eat up, sweetie. It's your favorite tonight." She said.

"Yay!" Belle cheered, grabbing a fork. "Sgetti night!"

"What about you, Cas? Are you gonna have some dinner too? You didn't take your lunch break today." Amy went on.

He stopped cleaning the opposite end of the bar and nodded. "You're right, I didn't... I suppose I was just too busy to notice."

"I'll grab you a plate then," Amy smiled, disappearing in the kitchen.

"Cas sit by me." Belle said, patting the stool next to her.

After a quick trip to the mens room he sat down next to Belle as Amy brought him out a plate with spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread. It was his first time having pasta, but he had to admit that it smelled wonderful, and seeing is that Belle was shoveling it in to the point she was smearing sauce all over her face, he had to conclude that it was good.

So, once he took his first bite he felt his brows raise. It might have been that cheeseburgers had competition because this was simply wonderful.

"Yummy, huh?" Belle said. "I love sgetti."

"It's very good," He replied with his mouth full. "I suppose I'll have to start having this every week when it's the special."

For the moment the bar was surprisingly quiet, even for dinner time. But, according to Amy there was some sort of holiday sales going on with the shops in town, so everyone was getting started on early Christmas shopping.

So when the front door of the diner jingled with a new customer, Castiel was at attention only to feel himself freeze in his seat once he saw who sauntered their way inside.

It was Dean... And for the moment he could only sit there with his eyes wide and a sort of stunned expression glued on his face as he made his way over.

Just as always Dean gave one of his snarky little smiles before saying, "Heya, Cas."

Belle shot her eyes up to this new visitor while Castiel only swallowed before pulling himself off the stool.

"Hello, Dean-" He replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd come say hey and see how you were holdin' up." Dean gave the diner a good once over. "And no, Sammy didn't rat you out, I just tracked the GPS on his phone once he took off a couple weeks ago and saw he came here. Put two and two together and, yeah... Here I am."

Castiel nodded before passing a quick glance to the little girl who was eying Dean suspiciously. "Well, I can't really talk right now, Dean. So-"

"No problem." Dean then flopped down at the bar. "I'm starving anyways, so I'll just grab a burger or something and wait around til your shift's over."

"Cas," Belle whispered, tugging on his apron. "Who is that guy?"

"A friend, Belle. His name's Dean."

"Oh," She went back to her food and nibbled on her garlic bread. "I'm Cas' friend too, Dean."

Dean smiled and passed a wink to the little girl. "Really? Yeah Cas can be pretty cool sometimes, huh?"

"Yep!"

Amy chose that exact moment, to Castiel's dismay, to return from the kitchen. And no doubts she sensed the awkward tension almost immediately, because there Dean sat looking just as cocky as ever, while Castiel stood with that same startled expression etched across his face.

"Uh," Amy stopped dead in her tracks. "Everything okay out here?"

After asking that did she move her way closer to her daughter who was completely oblivious to everything.

"Oh, of course, Amy." Castiel replied. "I'm sorry, I was just surprised. You see this is my friend, Dean. And I haven't seen him in quite a while and he decided to come and pay me an unexpected visit."

Amy nodded at that, easing up slightly. "Ah, well if you two wanna talk, then go ahead." She moved closer to Dean. "Do you need a menu?"

"Nah, I think I know what I want-" Dean replied, giving Amy a good once over which Castiel clearly noticed. "Bacon cheeseburger, heavy on the onions, fries and a coke."

Amy nodded again and passed a quick smile. "Coming right up. Cas, since it's been so long that you've seen your friend, why don't you take a break and talk or something."

"Oh I couldn't do that while being on my shift, Amy. It wouldn't be right." Castiel replied.

She chuckled at that, moving past Belle and grabbing her near empty plate. "Go ahead, we're not busy at all and you could use a break anyways. Belle, come help mommy in the kitchen, okay?"

Belle jumped down from her stool with Castiel's help as she trotted behind her mother and they disappeared behind the swinging kitchen doors.

"Nice," Dean said, after they were gone. "Looks like you're doing pretty good here, Cas."

Castiel felt his lips cinch as he stomped over to Dean. "Keep your voice down. She'll hear you."

"What?" Dean snickered. "Don't she know you got the hots for her?"

"What..." Castiel froze. "That's... You're... You have no idea what you're talking about, Dean. You just got here. How could you possibly come to that conclusion so quickly?"

"Cause it's obvious, and... Looks like you're pretty chummy with her kid too, so... Not hard to figure it out, ya know?" Dean shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

Castiel motioned for Dean to follow him to a corner booth where he took a seat.

"The big deal is that Amy's my friend, and I don't want her to get the wrong idea about me is all." He answered.

"Right," Dean slid into the booth opposite of him. "Right, she's just your friend."

"She is, clearly. And besides, it's none of your business so I would appreciate if you just changed the subject."

"Fine," Dean sat back. "Sorry I brought it up. I was just gonna say that she seems nice, and obviously her kid likes you too, so why not go for it?"

"Go for what? Are you insinuating that I should attempt some form of relationship with her?" Castiel squinted.

Dean's eyes rolled. "Would that be so bad? You like her."

"Maybe so," Castiel nearly swallowed his own tongue once he realized he just admitted that out loud. "But, it doesn't matter. It wouldn't be fair on her or Belle, because there's just no way of knowing when I might have to leave this town." Pausing, he shifted in his seat. "Speaking of which... What's been happening with the fallen angels? Have you heard anything?"

"Some," Dean nodded. "But that's not anything you gotta worry about anymore. You're out now, and you got a nice set up here, so... Just focus on that."

"That's a little difficult to do, Dean. Considering it was my fault the angels were expelled and heaven was locked. It's only right that I do something to try and resolve all of it."

Dean passed a quick glance to the kitchen before responding. "No, you don't need to do that, Cas. Just let me and Sammy take care of it. You... Well, you look happy here and there's no reason why you should give that up. Just, stay here, enjoy being human and just... Stay happy, okay?"

Castiel sighed, resting his elbows on the table. "I wish it was that simple. I wish it was as simple as just turning my back to everything and keeping my life like this, but it's not."

"Why?" Dean returned. "What happened with the angels was an accident, it wasn't your fault that Metatron tricked you, dude. It's not like you willingly told the asshole to cut out your grace and throw out all the angels. So, why not just look past it and focus on what you got here?"

Looking to the kitchen, Castiel felt his stomach churn. "Because... Because if something happened to them I would never forgive myself. Being here right now, for these weeks has been fine. It's been safe, but I know that one day all of that will change and I'll be endangering their lives. How can I knowingly stay here if that's going to happen? How could I willingly put them in danger just because I might have some sort of feelings for Amy? It wouldn't be fair, and it's extremely reckless and selfish too."

"What if," Dean leaned forward and lowered his voice. "What if I could promise you that that won't happen? What if I could tell you that me and Sammy found a way of making sure you're gonna be okay here and the angels won't ever think to look for you here?"

Castiel's brows squeezed together. "How could you promise that? What would you have that could ensure that being true?"

"Let me and Sammy worry about that, and just take my word for it. You're fine here, Cas... Trust me. We worked some shit out and you're gonna be okay."

Naturally he was skeptical, he would be a fool not to be. "Dean, I just don't understand how that's possible?"

"Hey, you trust me right?" Dean returned.

"Of course I do."

"You know I wouldn't lie to you about something like this? You know I wouldn't risk that girl and her daughters lives like that, right?"

Castiel sighed. "Yes, Dean. You wouldn't do something like that."

"Then believe me," Dean sat back again. "You're gonna be fine here. Just take my word for it."

Amy returned from the kitchen a second time with Belle trotting after her, she laid Dean's cheeseburger down as well as his drink and he only smiled just like he always did.

"Thanks, looks awesome." He said.

"No problem. Enjoy." Amy replied, then returned to the kitchen. Belle lingered behind for a few seconds, giggling and staring at Dean past her teddy bear before following her mother again.

"She's cute," Dean said. "Seems like she's a good kid too."

"She is," Castiel nodded. "Even though I don't know much about children she seems to be very well behaved."

Dean started in on his burger and Castiel fetched the rest of his spaghetti, and for several long minutes they ate in silence.

It was strange, Castiel thought, how normal something like this felt. Sitting in a diner eating a meal with Dean. It was the first time he had ever done something like that, and he liked it.

"So how long are you going to be in town, Dean?" Castiel asked now.

"Uh," Dean took another huge bite of his cheeseburger before shrugging. "Dunno. I figured you might kick me out once you saw me, so I didn't plan much past saying hello."

"Why would I do that?" Castiel returned. "That would be uncalled for."

"Not really... Not with how we left things." Dean paused, picking around at his fries. "Look, I wanna explain why I asked you to leave, man. It wasn't cause I didn't want you there, you get that, right?"

Castiel froze with his eyes fixed on his plate. "It wasn't?"

"No, it's because Sammy almost died. He came real close, ya know? And with the angels falling and... And thinking that maybe they were gonna be coming after you, I didn't wanna take the risk of them tracking you down and then-"

"Endangering Sam's life," Castiel finished for him. "I understand. I wish you would have explained that from the beginning, because I would have left willingly if that was the case."

"Really," Dean went on, the playfulness fading from his eyes and being replaced with guilt. "I felt like a total asshole for asking you to leave like that. I really am sorry, dude."

"It's fine, Dean-" Castiel sighed. "Considering how well things have been going for me lately, I should probably thank you for it. Yes, I'll admit that for a long time I might have held a grudge for you asking me to leave. But... Now that I thought it over I realize it was probably the best thing for me. Had I stayed at the bunker with you I never would have taken the steps I needed to actually make it on my own. I would have relied solely on you and Sam, and... I never would have accomplished anything. So, really... It's fine, Dean. I'm not angry any longer."

Dean nodded, but still the guilt didn't quite fade from his eyes. "So yeah, since you're not gonna beat the crap outa me maybe I can stick around for a few hours before heading back. When does your shift end?"

"Seven." Castiel answered. "So, in an hour."

"You got any plans, or what?"

Castiel took his last bite of garlic bread before shaking his head. "The only thing I planned on doing was going to the laundromat, Dean. So, not anything exciting."

Dean snickered. "Hey I got an idea... Why don't you ask out that girl Amy."

"What?" Castiel nearly choked on his soda. "Dean that's... I couldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because, she's... My boss, and... That would just be awkward and... And I highly doubt she has any interest in me, and-"

"Yeah right." Dean interrupted. "You're blind, dude. Think about it. She must like you somewhat cause she actually trusts you to be alone with her kid. That means something."

"It does?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "It does."

Sitting back, Castiel felt his stomach churning. "Well, regardless... I couldn't do that. And besides, you claimed you were going to stay here and visit for a few hours."

"Hey that's okay. I'm not gonna cock block, if you wanna ask her out then go ahead. I can always make the drive again, it's not a big deal."

"No, that's not necessary. You drove all the way here and-"

Cock block? What in the world did that mean?

"Nope," Dean stood and pulled out his wallet, tossing money down on the table. "Nope, you're gonna ask that chick out. No arguing, you're gonna do it."

Castiel jumped to his feet now too. "But, I can't! I don't even know where to begin with that and I'll just make myself out to be an idiot, and... Even if I did somehow manage to ask her out, what in the world would we do? Where would I take her? I don't know anything about this sort of thing, Dean."

Dean sneered at that. "Okay, you want some advice, I'll help you out," He moved over and put his arm around Castiel's shoulder because he looked ready to hyperventilate. "Just go up to her, and ask if she'd wanna go out sometime. Take her out to dinner, maybe a movie or something and that's it... Not a big deal, right?"

"Not for you, you're used to that sort of thing," Castiel swallowed hard. "I just don't think I could actually spit out the words without making a fool of myself."

"Okay you really wanna make sure she says yes? Involve her kid. Ask to take em both out to dinner and a movie. She'll be all over you after that."

Castiel scowled. "Dean... That's not why I would ask her out on a date."

"Can't hurt though, right?" Dean snickered. "Okay, go do it... I'll call ya later and see how it went."

He smacked him on the back and Castiel struggled to understand how a seemingly normal and innocent conversation had suddenly turned into him asking Amy out on a date.

"See ya soon, Cas-" Dean added, waving over his shoulder as he started for the door. "Glad you're doin' okay."

"Goodbye, Dean." Castiel replied with a frown.

"Go get 'er tiger." Dean winked, then slipped out before Castiel could comment back.

What in the world just happened, Castiel asked himself. Long after the jingling bell over the door died down, and the sound of the Impala's roaring engine faded in the distance, Castiel could only stand there wondering if all of that was actually real. Was Dean really just there? Did he really tell him that his life here in this town could actually _stay_ his life? Did he really tell him that he was safe here, and that he could just be normal, and human and happy? And, last but not least, did Dean really somehow convince him in a few short minutes to actually ask Amy out on a date?

Castiel shifted his eyes to the kitchen before grabbing his empty plate and glass and taking them back to the sink. He washed them and then sat them aside, noticing that Amy had relieved the cooks from duty and all was quiet. Now, he crept his way to her office door, which was slightly ajar before he heard her voice ringing out from inside.

"No, it's okay, no problem," She said, and he could tell by her tone that she was on the phone and not speaking to her child. "No really, it's not a big deal. I can handle it on my own. It's just one room. You just stay home with Timothy and I'll stop by tomorrow."

Castiel felt guilty for eavesdropping on her conversation, so he gave a quiet knock before pushing the door open. She noticed him and held up her finger and he nodded in return.

Belle was sitting at Amy's desk, twirling fast circles in the chair.

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll bring lunch or something." Amy finished before hanging up. "Sorry about that. Was just talking to Olive."

"Oh," He nodded. "How's Timothy doing?"

"Better, getting restless though because with his broken leg he can't run around like he wants to do, but... Yeah he's okay." Amy leaned against the desk now. "Is your friend still here?"

"No, he had to hurry home." Castiel answered. "I hope you don't mind that he stopped by like that."

"I don't mind, Cas-" She chuckled. "You looked pretty shocked to see him, so I hope you had a nice visit."

"We did," He paused, shifting on his feet awkwardly. "Truth be told we didn't part on good terms, but... Things are good now I believe. Dean is... Well, he's been like a brother to me, so it was safe to assume we would work things out."

She smiled at that. "Good friends are hard to come by, so you need to keep the ones you have."

Before he could cower out of actually asking her out, he croaked out quickly, "So, anyhow... What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?"

She sighed at that and gave a little shrug. "Well, I was planning on painting my dining room. Olive was going to help me, but with Timothy all laid up she can't do it."

"I can help you," He quickly spat before he realized what came out of his mouth. "I mean, if you still need help that is."

Amy chuckled and nodded. "Are you sure? I don't wanna ruin your evening by putting you to even more work."

"I don't mind. Honestly I wasn't going to do much of anything tonight except laundry, so... I'd be glad to help."

"Cas is comin' to our house?" Belle asked, as she stopped spinning.

"Yeah, looks like he is," Amy answered. "Thanks, Cas. You know, you're gonna have to let me help you out with something sometime, you're always doing favors for me."

Castiel only smiled at that, and maybe this wasn't exactly the type of date that Dean intended on, as a matter of fact... It technically wasn't a date at all. But, it was a start, he supposed. At least he would be spending time with both Amy and Belle, which he found was the one thing he preferred most over anything else now a days.


	6. Chapter 6

Why... Why did he do this, Castiel couldn't help but ask himself over fifty times. It was a mistake, he was going to make a damn fool of himself, he knew that. Without a shadow of a doubt he was going to say something ignorant, or do something ignorant, and then Amy would think he was an idiot.

He had been pacing out on the sidewalk outside of Amy's house for the last ten minutes, trying to work up the nerve to move up the walk and to the door. Amy was expecting him, and he couldn't very well call and cancel. He was supposed to help her paint her dining room, he offered his assistance... What kind of person would call and cancel so unexpectedly, especially since she had probably gotten everything ready in his absence. It would be rude, it would be mean... It would be something Castiel wouldn't want to do, but for the love of god he couldn't work up the gumption to actually move his way to the door and knock.

Really, Amy's house wasn't what he expected. It was obviously very old and in the process of being renovated. One story, with a porch that completely encircled the entire home. The property was surrounded with trees that were all but naked because of autumn... It was a nice area, he figured. On the outskirts of town, about a miles walk from the diner. Amy of course had offered to come and pick him up, but he insisted on walking and right about then he was thankful he had insisted on it... Because if he decided to turn around and run in the other direction, she wouldn't see him do it.

Why did something so completely normal have to be so awkward and difficult, he wondered. Normal men in these situations wouldn't have been so cowardice. They would have marched straight up that walk and stairs and knocked without a seconds thought.

It's not like this was a date... Far from it. There was nothing even remotely "date like" about this evening. At least, he didn't think there was. From the television programs he had seen, it seemed dates generally consisted of going out to dinner, maybe a movie... Definitely not painting a dining room.

With that thought in mind he let out a deep breath and started his way up the walk, wondering why in the world he couldn't feel his feet, as he practically tripped up the stairs and stopped at the door.

He could see past the curtains hanging in the windows that almost every light in the house was on, so he quickly gave a firm knock.

A few moments later he heard the bounding of little footsteps before the door burst open and Belle stared up at him through the screen door.

"Cas is here!" She called out, and Amy quickly rushed out from another room.

"Belle I told you not to open the door without me here," She said, then pushed the screen door open. "Hey, Cas. Sorry about that, she had to answer the door first."

He only smiled awkwardly and stepped inside.

"I really appreciate this," Amy said, leading the way from the front door and towards a tall archway on the right. "I kinda bit off more than I could chew with this house, as you can see."

He still said nothing and took a quick glance around the house. For the most part it was in order, but just as outside he could see the obvious signs of renovating. There was a wall of nothing but studs leading from the dining room and into the kitchen, plaster and putty spots past that, and the furniture in the sitting room across the hall was covered in plastic tarps. The fireplace in that room was half painted, and he could smell the scent of freshly sawed wood lingering over the air.

"How long have you been making repairs?" He asked, finally croaking out words.

"Since we moved in," She answered with a sigh. "I thought that it was a good investment, silly me. Turns out that once we moved in, one thing after another kept going wrong. But, I've always loved this house and I'm bound and determined to fix it up."

"Mommy can I show Cas my room?" Belle asked, peering up at her past the teddy bear she always carried with her.

Amy passed a quick smile to Castiel. "Sorry, we just painted her room yesterday and she's wanting to show everyone I guess."

"I'd love to see your room, Belle." Castiel said now.

The little girl grabbed his hand now and practically dragged him from the dining room and down the hall, coming to the first door on the left which she pushed open.

Inside was what he figured was typical for a little girls room. The walls were painted a pale purple, there were white flowered curtains hanging in the windows, and her bed was covered with stuffed animals and heart shaped pillows.

"See," She said, prancing inside. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Yes, definitely. Very pretty, Belle." He replied.

"Look at this," She went on, moving over to something in the corner. "Mommy had this made for me."

He followed her to the corner and crouched down beside her.

"It's a dolly house," She said, then started rummaging through it. "Look, there's a mommy dolly, and a me dolly," She held them out to him. "We need to make a Cas dolly."

"That's very nice," Castiel said. "It's almost identical to your actual house."

"You wanna play with me later?" She asked now.

"Of course, once I'm finished helping your mother and if it's not too late."

She seemed pleased enough with that response, and before long Castiel and Amy got started on her dining room.

Amy had taped around the woodwork and laid down sheets of plastic, so he wasn't as worried about making a mess once he started to adjust to the paint roller. But, forty minutes in he found that he was still on the same area, trying his best to make certain it was as perfect as possible.

"Looks pretty good," She said, moving to the paint pan on the floor. "I wasn't sure about this color, but... I think it's all right, what do you think?"

"It seems nice to me." He replied. "But, I might just be fond of blue."

"Matches your pretty blue eyes." She added, passing him a smile.

He fumbled after that, nearly dropping the roller as a matter of fact as he struggled to form some type of response. But, the only thing he could manage was awkwardly smiling in return as his face burned hot as fire.

Amy stifled back a chuckle from his reaction, then motioned to the kitchen. "You want something to drink? A beer maybe?"

"Oh," He paused now and laid the roller down in the tray. "Well if it's not too much trouble, thank you."

"Cas, you're here on a Saturday night helping me paint my dining room. Getting you a beer isn't too much trouble, hon."

She disappeared into the kitchen as he moved around the dining room and noticed a line of pictures laying flat on a buffet table. For the most part they were photos of Belle from infancy and throughout her childhood, a few had both Amy and Belle and a few more held scenic pictures, landscapes and random things like that.

"Are you hungry at all?" Amy called out from the kitchen. "We've got left over pizza?" She peaked around the doorway and held out the beer. "Since we had an early dinner and all, I was gonna heat it up, you want some?"

He paused at the line of photos and stood tall. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind it."

After another smile she disappeared in the kitchen again, and Castiel found himself pacing about the dining room before moving to the hallway and more photos hanging on the wall.

It was safe to say that Amy and her daughter seemed to have a very happy life, their photos were living proof of that. But, Castiel noticed that there wasn't anyone else in the pictures but for Amy and Belle. There was no others that might have been family members or friends... Nothing, which he thought was slightly strange. The only other in a photo was one of Belle on the front porch steps, holding a orange tabby cat in her lap.

"That's Buttons," Belle said, appearing beside him. "My kitty."

"Oh," Castiel nodded. "Well, he seems like a very nice kitty."

"He was, but he went to heaven." Belle frowned. "But mommy said he's playing with all the other kitties and puppies in heaven."

Castiel sighed at that, knowing better then to set the little girl straight and inform her that animals certainly didn't go to heaven. She was only a child, and if the thought of her lost cat in heaven comforted her, who was he to take that away from her?

"Come get your snack, sweetie," Amy said, appearing in the doorway. "You have to go to bed in twenty minutes."

Belle skipped her way from the hallway and into the living room where Amy had sat her plate down on the coffee table, along with a small glass of milk.

"Pizza's hot," Amy said now, motioning for Castiel to follow. "Come and get it."

He nodded as she led the way into the kitchen, and to a small table that overlooked the backyard. After sitting down he hesitated taking a bite of pizza, and instead watched as Amy scurried about the kitchen.

"Just gimme a few minutes," She said. "After Belle's done with her snack I need to get her to bed."

"That's fine, take your time." He replied, and she vanished from the kitchen.

It seemed rude to eat in her absence so he pushed the plate aside and stood from the table, taking a peak out the window and to the pitch black backyard.

It was large, probably very nice in the summer time when the grass was green and the trees had leaves. There was a swing set there, patio furniture and other little things that would have been nice for warmer weather.

After setting his beer down on the table he moved to the kitchen sink, because he very well couldn't eat with paint all over his hands. So, after scrubbing them clean he moved back for the table to find his beer was gone.

For a moment he could have swore he left it sitting there, but instead he found it on the counter just beside the refrigerator. He had to conclude that it was the awkward situation and the fact that he wasn't accustomed to drinking alcohol that had led him to misplace the bottle.

He quickly shook the odd incident off.

Fifteen or so minutes later Amy finally returned to the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," She said. "Belle has to have a story read to her before she settles down, so-" She paused once she saw his uneaten pizza. "Oh, you didn't have to wait for me, Cas."

"I didn't mind," He awkwardly smiled in return. "So... Belle's asleep then?"

"She's probably pretending," Amy snickered, taking a seat at the table. "She does that sometimes, especially if we have company over. So, don't be surprised if she sneaks her way back out here."

Castiel sat again too, waiting until Amy started in on her pizza before he took a bite.

"So, what else do you plan to do with renovating your home?" He asked, and for a moment he was surprised he actually thought of a question so easily. Perhaps it was the alcohol that was aiding in that.

"Hm," Amy wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Well, the really hard work is done for the most part I think. It's mainly just painting and polishing, things like that. But," She motioned to the bare studs behind them that led into the dining room. "That needs to be put up of course."

He nodded, taking a large bite and chewing it nearly twenty times over. "Who does the construction work for you?"

"Yeah that's kind of one of my problems." She cringed. "The people I'd hired ditched me a couple weeks ago, so... I've been kinda trying to do it all myself. Seeing is that the wall looks like that, I'm not doin' too good with it."

His brows furrowed. "They abandoned the job?"

"Yeah," She shrugged. "They, uh... Well I guess we had creative differences or something, I don't know. But that's why I really appreciate you helping me out tonight, because sometimes I feel like I'm getting swamped with this place."

"Renovating an entire home does seem like it would be stressful," He replied. "But, the end results I think will be very nice."

"I hope so. I just want Belle to have a nice home. We've only ever lived in apartments since she was born. I wanted her to have a backyard she could play in, a nice big bedroom for sleepovers and things like that." She took a sip of her beer. "I wanted her to have some kind of normal, since her dad's not really in her life."

"That's confounding to me," Castiel said now, reaching for a second slice of pizza. "Granted I don't know much about children, but she's a very sweet little girl and it's hard to believe her father wouldn't want to be a part of her life."

Amy went silent for several long seconds after that, before letting out a deep breath. "Thanks, Cas. But, he's... He's never really been there. Even before he moved out of the country he never really had much to do with her. He's just... Not a good person, and if I'm to be honest... The month out of the year he does have her... It scares the hell out of me."

Castiel leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Isn't there any way of preventing that from happening?"

"I'm trying," She nodded. "My lawyer's trying to work something out. William, that's her fathers name, he... He's willing to give up the shared custody in exchange for money. Which, I guess would explain the crazy hours at the diner right? Trying to save up that much is gonna take a while, and this house and renovating isn't really helping much with that."

Somehow Castiel didn't think that sounded legal, but he wasn't familiar with laws and things like that. Besides, if it would help Amy's situation by paying her ex husband off, then... Who was he to judge?

"Anyways," She cleared her throat. "It seems I'm always bitching to you about my problems and you never once talk to me about yours. Just so ya know, I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

He smiled slightly. "Thank you, but... There's not really much for me to complain about. In fact, I would have to say that right now is probably the best I've been in a while."

"Good." She smiled in return.

She went silent again, tapping her finger on the table as she eyed him carefully. "So do you have plans for Thanksgiving?"

He stopped chewing long enough to mumble a reply. "No, no plans. I figured I would just stay home."

"You wanna come here for dinner? And, uh, before you answer-" She chuckled. "You should probably know that some of my crazy family is gonna be here, and... They're an acquired taste."

"Acquired taste?" He returned.

"Yeah, they... My brother and sister aren't exactly the most pleasant people to be around. They're pretty judgmental and arrogant, and... Well, it's probably gonna be nuts here, and really you can say no if you want to, but... It'd be nice if you were here. Belle would like it, and so would I, because then at least I'd have someone here I actually like to talk to, ya know?"

He gulped down a mouthful of beer, hoping his face wasn't burning red right about then because it certainly felt as though it was.

"Well, if you insist, then... I'd love to be here." He replied.

Yes he definitely had to conclude the alcohol was making him relax, because he wasn't nearly as awkward and nervous sitting there with Amy as he normally would have been. And for the next hour they sat at the table talking, and it seemed they both had forgotten about finishing the dining room. And, as foolish as it made him feel, he couldn't help but wish that night would never end because... Because being with Amy, and Belle even, made him forget everything that had ever gone wrong in his long lifetime. It was strange how that happened, but it did.

Unfortunately though the conversation was interrupted when the doorbell rang, which instantly made Amy jump up in confusion.

"Little late for visitors," She stated. "Wonder who that is."

She started for the kitchen door and Castiel stood and took the dirty dishes over to the sink. This night... He decided once and for all, was the best night he had had in... Well, it was the best night he'd ever had as a matter of fact. It halfway made him wonder what it would be like if...

No, he caught himself before that thought could finish. Because to go and conjure up a fantasy like that was nothing short of ridiculous. Amy was his friend first and foremost, only his friend. This house, Amy and Belle... It wasn't his. They weren't his family and it wasn't feasible to envision they ever could be, simply because his life was just too dangerous. Yes, Dean had claimed that he had arranged it somehow so that Castiel would be safe there, but... That wasn't anything solid and concrete, and-

His thoughts cut off when he heard raised voices coming from the front of the house, so he quickly left the kitchen and moved through the dining room until coming to a stop at the entrance of the foyer.

Castiel's feet froze once he saw the late night visitor was the man he had spotted following them at the farmers market not so long ago. Honestly... That had completely slipped his mind, and he hadn't seen the man since then so he never gave it a second thought.

"Why won't you just hear me out?" The man asked, forcing the door open by keeping his foot lodged there. "Just talk to me already."

"You need to leave," Amy replied, trying her best to push the door closed despite his foot being there. "Just leave, Alex, I told you a million times that it was a one time thing and it's not happening again."

Castiel moved into the foyer now and cleared his throat. "Is everything all right, Amy?"

Alex's eyes went right to him as he stood tall and scowled. "You again. You know, why is it that I keep seeing you everywhere I go, huh?"

Castiel arched a brow at that, not the slightest bit intimidated. "Funny, I was going to ask you the very same thing."

Amy rose a hand. "It's okay, Cas. Alex was just leaving."

"No, Alex wasn't just leaving!" He shouted back. "Not until you talk to me, dammit!"

He pushed the door open the rest of the way which made Amy stumble backwards slightly. Castiel was right there and moved to stand in front of her.

"That's far enough," He said, keeping his tone calm. "I think she's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want you here. So, just turn around and walk away."

"Fuck off, pal-" Alex returned. "This doesn't concern you, and if you wanna walk outa here tonight without a busted face, then scurry off back to the kitchen."

Castiel's jaw clenched at that. "Amy, maybe it would be best if you called the police and let them know about this?"

Amy was scared beyond belief now as she gave a nervous nod and inched her way to the phone in the dining room. Alex however had no intention of her making that call as he suddenly lunged at Castiel and they both collided into a table in the foyer.

Castiel recovered from that quickly, and it didn't take long for him to fall back on everything he'd been trained to do as a soldier for heaven. Which meant that overpowering Alex was relatively easy, and the fight was over pretty much before it even began. By the time the thrashing stopped Castiel had Alex, despite the man being two times large than himself, pinned to the floor with his arms behind his back and his face smashed into the floor. And, despite a small bleeding gash on his forehead, Castiel was unharmed.

Amy had grabbed the phone during the scuffle and quickly dialed 911, and it wasn't five minutes before they heard sirens blaring and the flashing lights of the police vehicles shined through the windows.

Moments later Alex was in handcuffs and being dragged from the house, and Castiel found himself being questioned by the officer who he had first encountered once entering this town. The young man who happened to pay for his meal.

"So, he forced his way inside?" The officer asked, and Castiel nodded.

"Yes, I overheard raised voices from the kitchen and when I came to investigate I found Amy trying to force the door closed and Alex was preventing her from doing so." He paused as he glanced to Amy, who came out of Belle's bedroom after checking on the child. "And, when we asked him to leave he refused and that's when he attacked me."

Amy came to a stop beside him, handing over a wet washcloth for Castiel's forehead.

"So, what's gonna happen now?" She asked. "He's not getting out this time, is he?"

The officer, who if Castiel recalled correctly was named Rick, shook his head. "Not this time, Amy. He violated the restraining order, and if Cas here wants to press charges for the assault well, that's just another nail in his coffin."

Amy nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "God, I never thought it was gonna come to this."

"Well, I'm just thankful Cas was here with you tonight," Rick added. "Who knows what would've happened if he wasn't. But, you can relax now, Amy, get a good nights sleep for once, okay? I'll handle everything from here on out and I'll let you know what happens."

He nodded to both of them before leaving the house, and a few minutes later the entire ordeal was over as the police vehicles sped off. After that, Amy closed the door and let out a sigh.

"Jeez," She rubbed her forehead. "I'm so sorry about this, Cas. This was... _Not _what I planned on happening tonight." She grabbed his hand and led him into the living room, pointing to the couch. "Sit down and I'll get the first aid kit, we need to clean up that cut on your head."

He sat, wondering how and why he was so unusually calm after that nights events. Considering he had gotten into an altercation with some crazy person, was injured, and the police were called... He figured he would have been a tad wound up, but... He wasn't.

Amy returned seconds later and sat down beside him, immediately starting to clean his wound with antiseptic.

"Thank you," She said now. "For what you did tonight. If you weren't here... I don't wanna know what could have happened."

He swallowed at that, finding himself staring dumbly into her eyes. "You don't have to thank me."

"Yeah, I do," She paused. "And you're probably wanting an explanation for all of that crap, so... A few months back we went out on one date, it was a blind date actually, I was set up on it pretty much against my will after running into an old friend from high school. But, yeah, it was a one time thing, one blind date and after that I told him that was as far as it was gonna go, and he didn't seem to take that as true."

Castiel felt his jaw clench. "So, he's been stalking you ever since?"

"Guess so. I thought I'd gotten through to him once I filed a restraining order. He stopped coming by the diner so much, I didn't see his car following me, but... Yeah I guess I was wrong."

His eyes closed after that. "I... I saw him that day you and I went to the farmers market. I noticed he had been following us, but... I don't know, I guess I didn't take it as a threat and eventually the entire incident slipped my mind. I'm sorry, Amy. If I had spoken up about him that day then maybe this never would have happened."

She sighed now and carefully stuck a bandage over his cut. "It's not your fault, Cas. Alex was just a twisted person, and I don't think he would've stopped. But yeah, thank you, really... Thank you for doing what you did tonight. You could have been severely hurt or... Even killed for all you knew, and still you stepped up like that and stopped him, so... Thank you."

"Well," Castiel swallowed hard. "There's no way I would have stood idly by while that man hurt you or Belle. Speaking of, is Belle all right?"

"She's fine, she didn't even wake up." Amy chuckled. "She can sleep through a thunderstorm, so..."

"Thankfully she won't have to know about what happened tonight then." Castiel nodded. "That's good."

Amy closed up the first aid kit and then sat back. "Listen, um... I know that after everything you've already done I shouldn't be asking you for anymore favors, but... After tonight, I just don't think I'd be very comfortable with Belle and me alone in the house. So... Do you think maybe you could... Stay?"

He froze slightly. "Stay?"

"Yeah, just for the night. You can have my room and I'll crash on the couch, I just... Would feel better if someone else was here."

"Of course, but... I can sleep on the couch, you giving me your room isn't necessary."

She leaned over now and practically crushed him with a hug which he was a little too eager to return.

"Thank you," She mumbled into his shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here, Cas."

That made him tense up almost immediately, because if he was getting this attached to both Amy and Belle, then... Maybe it was possible she was becoming attached to him as well, and... There was still the uncertainty of what was going to come in the future, and whether or not he would be forced to leave this place.

The thought of leaving that place, and them, behind was becoming more agonizingly painful each day. He honestly didn't know if he could do it now if the time came where he had no choice.

She pulled away and then planted a nice long kiss on his cheek. "I'll go grab you a pillow and blanket."

Once she left the sitting room he took his head in his hands and let out a long slow breath.

This was... So incredibly wrong, he knew that for a fact. But... It just felt so right and... So happy. He'd never felt happiness before and he didn't want to lose it after only just finding it for the first time in his long lifetime. The thought that maybe he could have a family, a real family, he just didn't want to lose it. Which is why he vowed right then and there that he was going to figure out a solution to all of this, a way to keep what he'd found and also be certain that Amy and Belle were always safe.

Maybe it would require a conversation with Dean again. Maybe he could coax the truth out of the man, get him to tell him just how he knew that it would always be safe in this town... If Dean really and truly meant that, and he had worked something out, then it was only right that he tell him about it, Castiel knew that.

Amy returned a short time later, carrying a pillow and blanket.

"Do you think this one blanket will be enough?" She asked.

"Of course," He nodded, standing from the sofa. "That's perfectly fine."

She got the sofa set up for him and then took a step back. "Okay, well... If you get hungry or thirsty help yourself to anything in the kitchen, all right?"

He nodded again. "Thank you."

"No," She snickered. "Thank you, Cas. I'm gonna make this up to you one of these days. You just need to tell me how."

Smiling faintly, he knew one way but held his tongue. He would have been perfectly happy taking Amy and Belle out to dinner, to him that would be the perfect repayment. But, that wasn't exactly appropriate, at least he didn't think so.

"Good night, Amy." He said.

"Night, Cas," She moved to the doorway and flicked off the light. "If you wanna watch TV or anything go ahead, and... Don't be surprised if Belle wakes up and sneaks out here with you."

She gave a little wave before disappearing down the hall, and Castiel kicked off his shoes and lined them up perfectly beside the sofa before laying down.

For several long moments he laid there in darkness, staring up at the ceiling with his mind spinning.

Well, this definitely was not the night he was counting on. And it certainly didn't qualify as a date to Dean's standards, but... He was glad he decided to come, because if he had chickened out like he wanted to earlier, Amy and Belle could have been hurt by that crazy man Alex. And yes, maybe he was slightly injured in the quarrel, but Castiel didn't care.

Things could have been much much worse.

With a sigh he settled down and made himself comfortable, and before closing his eyes and drifting off he could have swore he saw a figure standing in the kitchen doorway.

Sitting up quickly, he flicked on the lamp beside the sofa and peered through the darkness seeing absolutely nothing.

Maybe the bump to the head was causing him to hallucinate? He figured that was the case as he laid back down and closed his eyes, drifting off almost instantly.


	7. Chapter 7

_**This chapter's super short but the next one will be longer.**_

* * *

><p>Castiel awoke to the sound of dishing clanking, and for a moment he had forgotten where he was as his eyes burst open.<p>

It took a good thirty seconds before he remembered that he was still at Amy's, and he was asleep on her couch. Once that realization slammed him however he quickly sat up and cracked his back.

The first thing he noticed was that the fireplace was fully ablaze, which was warm and comforting, past that was the scent of coffee brewing as well as something cooking. The house, but for the noises in the kitchen, was completely silent and for a moment Castiel could only sit there and relish at how peaceful it was. Not to mention that it was just so... Homey. While he loved his apartment he couldn't help but think about how alone he felt there, how the quiet practically suffocated him. But there at Amy's, even with it being so quiet it didn't matter. He wasn't alone, and it was more than pleasant.

He stood and gave a little stretch before folding up the blanket he'd used and straightening his wrinkled shirt. And, once he bent over to grab his shoes where he'd left them the night before, he paused at noticing them missing. He turned a small circle after that, his eyes scattering across the room and not seeing them. For the moment though he shook that off and left the living room.

As he passed through the hallway towards the kitchen, he caught his reflection in a mirror and tried to smooth down his bed messed hair, afterwards he peaked through the kitchen door and noticed Amy standing at the stove flipping bacon.

He was taken aback for a few short seconds, unable to stop himself from gawking at her. It slammed into him like a freight train right then and there just how he might have been feeling about Amy, and it was enough to make his heart race.

"Good morning." He finally said, moving into the kitchen.

She turned from the stove and flashed him a beautiful smile. "Morning, Cas. How'd you sleep?"

"Very well actually." He moved in closer and took a seat at the bar. "And you?"

"Pretty good, thanks to you. Actually, it's the first night since all that crap started with Alex that I've really slept, so... Thanks again for what you did."

He nodded at that. "You're welcome."

"So," She motioned to the counter behind her. "Want some coffee?"

"That would be nice, thank you." He replied.

She turned back for the coffee pot and poured him a cup, then returned to the stove.

"Oh," Castiel said now. "I, um. Seem to have misplaced my shoes. I could have sworn I sat them next to the couch last night."

Amy chuckled, then dished him up a plate of bacon and eggs. "Yeah, that was probably Belle. She thinks that if she hides your shoes then that means you can't leave."

Castiel smiled at that, then took a sip of coffee. "She's a clever little girl."

"Yeah, and you'd never think to look at that cute little face and figure she'd be so manipulative like that. She must be gifted." Amy retorted. "She must have gotten up in the middle of the night and took them. I'll ask her where she hid them when she wakes up."

"That's fine. I just don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Really don't think that's possible, Cas-" She replied, then sat down in front of him with her own breakfast. "So, let me ask you a question. You're a really nice guy, how are you still single?"

He practically choked on his eggs. "Excuse me?"

"Well you're cute, you're really nice and you don't have a serial killer vibe going on... Kinda makes me wonder how you're single." She shrugged. "Guys like you are hard to come by."

"Uh," He swallowed down a scalding gulp of coffee, trying to find words. "Well, I... I suppose there was just never time in the past for anything like that, Amy. My life was... Very complicated."

Her brows raised. "And now?"

"What?"

"Would you say your life is complicated now?"

He managed a small smile before lowering his eyes to his coffee. "This is the least complicated my life has ever been."

She nodded at that. "Good to know."

His eyes jerked upwards to hers after that, and of course he wanted to know why exactly that was "good to know". But, he didn't get the chance to ask because Belle sleepily walked her way into the kitchen.

"Mommy," She said, rubbing her eyes. "There's a monster in my closet again."

Amy sighed at that and jumped down from her seat at the bar, moving over and kneeling down in front of Belle.

"Sweetie I told you, there's no monsters in your closet. I promise."

"But I heard noises," Belle replied. "Will you please look again?"

Amy nodded and scooped the little girl up. "Okay, we'll look again."

Castiel moved from his seat as well. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Amy chuckled. "It's just since this house is so old, it creaks a lot... Belle thinks it means there's monsters."

Even though he knew it wasn't actually monsters, just remembering the past and what really existed out there in the real world he laid his coffee down.

"Maybe Belle would feel better if I looked too." He offered. "Prove once and for all that there's no monsters."

And it would put his mind at ease too, even though this house seemed perfectly safe, he wanted to be one hundred percent certain.

"Thanks, Cas." Amy replied. "You want Cas to look too?"

"Uhuh." Belle nodded.

While Amy and Belle went back to her room, Castiel moved down the hallway and while Amy probably figured he was "pretending" to search for monsters, in a way he actually was. Thanks to being with Sam and Dean for so long he knew what to look for in case of emergency. For instance a sudden cold spot would be the sign of a spirit most likely, and obviously the smell of sulfur meant a demon was present. But, there wasn't anything like that in her house. No cold spots, no sulfur, nothing out of the ordinary. Which Castiel already figured was so, after all he'd spent the night in that house, sleeping on the couch without any disturbances. Yes, before he fell asleep he thought he saw someone standing in the kitchen doorway, but after flicking on the light and examining the area again he realized it was just his imagination.

Still, it put his mind at ease just to double check the house, and once he reached the end of the hallway and back to the kitchen again he flashed a smile to Amy who had just sat Belle down at the bar.

"See," She said. "No monsters. Right, Cas?"

"Yes, definitely no monsters in this house, Belle." He replied. "It's perfectly safe here."

Belle seemed a little more at ease as she nibbled at a strip of bacon.

"Oh," Amy said, then reached down to the floor. "And we found your shoes," She held them in the air. "They were in Belle's closet."

"The monster put them there," Belle said, while absently picking at her eggs. "It wasn't me, mommy."

Castiel took his shoes and slipped them on. "Well, no harm done."

"See," Amy snickered. "She's a little schemer. I guess she didn't think we'd look in her closet." After filling the sink with soapy water she let out a sigh. "Well, if you want to stick around for a little while longer, Cas, I can drive you back to the diner. Since Thanksgiving's tomorrow, we're only gonna be open until a little past lunch."

"Thank you." He replied. "Normally I would walk, but the weather is getting a little too cold for that now."

"Welcome to Indiana." Amy smiled. "We're bound to be covered in snow pretty soon too."

After finishing their breakfast and Belle changing out of her pajamas they started back for the diner, and once there Castiel returned to his apartment to change into a fresh change of clothes. And, while he had the time he decided that it was imperative to make a phone call to Dean, because there was no way in hell he was going to allow himself to get any closer to Amy and Belle unless Dean explained what he meant... He said that Castiel was safe, but didn't bother to explain how.

A week prior he had set up a phone line in his apartment finally, and after grabbing the phone and sitting on the love seat he quickly dialed Dean's number.

It was still relatively early which explained why when Dean answered he sounded groggy and half asleep.

"Yeah?" He grumbled out.

"Dean, it's me." Castiel replied. "I need to speak with you, is there any way you can make the drive up to Indiana?"

"Ugh," Dean groaned and yawned before answering. "Uh, yeah, why what's wrong?"

"Presently nothing is wrong, but there's something we need to discuss, and you have something you need to explain to me, so... How long until you arrive?"

"Me and Sammy are in Nevada right now workin' on a case, but as soon as we finish up we can make the trip."

"How long?" Castiel returned.

"Maybe tomorrow night? Or day after tomorrow. Can it wait that long?"

Castiel paused, his eyes moving to the window where he went into a slight daze before nodding. "Yes, it can wait. Thank you, Dean."

"Yeah, no problem. See ya soon, buddy." Dean concluded, then hung up.

Sitting back, Castiel let out a long slow sigh. Now, he just needed to wait... One day wasn't very long at all. He could control himself for that long... It's not as though he was going to go straight to Amy and confess anything to her, definitely not. This was... This was just precaution should the day come that he might decide to let her know that he might have been feeling more towards her than just a simple friendship.

Besides... The chances of their relationship escalating in a day was highly unlikely, at least that's what Castiel figured.


End file.
